A/N: First. I am so. Dreadfully. Sorry. For not having so much more for you so much sooner. I do have reasons, but they're long and boring and stressful. But seriously. I can't say how sorry I am.

Second. Chucky B, Pilpols, Guest (AKA Severusly), Guest, and eater, the replies to your reviews are at the bottom of the page. :)

Third. I'd really appreciate it if you read my longer A/N (with not super important stuff, but stuff I'd like you to know/your help on) over on my bloggy-thing (authorsblogthing dot tumblr dot com slash post slash 96229094862 slash longer-a-n-for-chapter-2-of-merfolk).

If you don't care to, then you can start reading this chapter... NOW! :)

Jack was lying on his bed with one arm pillowing his head and the other wrapped around his torso, while the longer part of his tail hung off to the side, floating lazily in the slow currents that swept over the floor. The only sign he was awake was his open eyes, though their bright blue color was clouded and distant; no one could say what he was staring at with only the ceiling above him. Babytooth, a small friend of his, sat on his pillow, her left leg pressed against his head.

She had a lock of his while hair pulled across her lap and was carding her tiny hands through it with a sad expression painted on her tiny face. She had been there with him since mid-yesterday, and the thought of leaving him hadn't even crossed her mind yet. She took shameless pride in being his best friend; for as long as five years out of his seventeen. She wasn't going to skip out on him now. When he came home the day before, he ignored everyone who tried to talk to him, including her. Swimming straight to his room, he'd closed his door in all their faces, and locked it. Babytooth was only there now because of the tiny door Jack had had made for her years ago; she was too small to open the large one, and they learned soon enough that no one could hear her knocking.

As soon as turned he saw her floating in front of him with her intentionally (but earnest) big, worried eyes, he'd burst into tears, curled his tail around himself, and told her what happened; what he'd done, or, in his point of view, hadn't done. ("I tried to save him, I really did!") But, if his story proved true, he'd failed, and was overcome with guilt. Babytooth could only bite her lip in worry and sit on his shoulder, trilling soft words and hums in his ear, and occasionally giving a comforting tug on a random lock of his hair. She'd heard of this dragon rider from her friend before.

More than that, she'd seen him, and hadn't liked him. He looked stupid and reckless and dangerous. When she'd followed Jack months ago to what she'd assumed was a secret hideout of sorts, and run into his back while he stared in slack-jawed, wide-eyed awe at this boy doing tricks in the sky, she'd made him swear to never try to talk to him or even let him see him; to stay deep enough underwater that human eyes couldn't even see the shape of his large tail. He'd broken that promise yesterday, but looking at him like this, all ruined, she couldn't bring herself to feel even disappointed in him; the human boy had meant more to him than she'd understood.

After a few hours, he'd calmed down enough to curl in bed and try to get some sleep, but nothing came of it. He'd rolled around restlessly and had worried his bottom lip down to nothing. Babytooth kept asking if he wanted to talk; if that would help, but he'd always just shake his head and turn away. She was sure he would have pushed her back if she hadn't been so small. Instead, he would just gently brushed her off him if she got too persistent, and she'd go back to combing out his hair. Now, when the lights were just turning on through all the palace, signaling morning, he finally turned to her, eyes sore and dry, and with just a tiny bit of his old happy self playing in the blue.

"Thank you." When her brows rose, he smiled. "You stayed with me all night." Then, "I think I'm okay now." She grinned and squeaked happily, and he laughed and pushed her away when she nuzzled his neck, turning serious. "I'm not gonna tell the others, though." She frowned, but tried to wipe it away when he got defensive and sharp. "They didn't need to know then, and they sure don't need to know now! He's drowned, and I'm not going back there, and that's that." That wasn't that. He wasn't okay yet and he couldn't hide something this big from the other Guardians.

The argument would have gone on if the locked door hadn't started suffering the abuse of a strong, albeit tiny fist. "Jack, it's time to come out! We've given you a night to yourself, now open up!"

Jack sighed and lifted himself off the bed, making his way over to his key on the dresser, then the lock. "I'm coming!" He opened the door to see a more or less ruffled and angry Iana with her fist raised to pound again. He didn't say anything after that – just slouched to one side with a raised eyebrow and a patient "Well…?" look painted smugly over his face.

Iana huffed and smoothed a hand down her feathered side. "Jack, I think it's time we talked."

"About…."

"About your sneaking off every morning-"

"I wasn't 'sneaking off'-"

"And ignoring us when we ask you important questions."

Jack tensed and Babytooth could see his jaw clench from where she'd moved to sit on his dresser. "What questions?"

Iana spluttered. "Questions like- are you okay? Or 'Hey, Jack! Where ya been all day?"

"I've never ignored those questions. Which you ask all the time."

"Fine, but you don't really answer them."

"Yes, I do!"

"'I'm fine' and 'the usual' or 'nothing' don't count, Jack." Iana sighed, and she suddenly looked tired. "I'm sorry. I haven't slept at all, and I'm- I'm worried. We all care about you, Jack." She met his eyes, and he avoided the temptation of looking away. "A lot. We don't want you getting hurt, or feeling alone."

Jack bit the inside of his lip and huffed. He held his breath before speaking. "I know you're not gonna like this… but I really am fine. I promise. I-"

Just then, Aster showed up. "Jack! North wants to see you. In the dining hall, I think. Unless he's moved. Pronto." And with that he was gone. Good ol' Aster.

"Iana, we'll talk more later." She nodded, and when Jack briefly rested his hand on her shoulder while passing, she covered it with her own.

When Jack got to the dining hall, North was still there. He was sitting, or more collapsed in a chair. His elbows were resting on the table and his forefingers and thumbs were massaging his temples in a very North-like way. He looked… really tired. Jack didn't need two guesses to figure whose fault it was.

The young merman could already feel his shoulders sagging. He hated it, but North was the only one who could make him feel this guilty over nothing just by sitting in the same room as him, and Jack was half sure he didn't even know it. North didn't give any sign of noticing when the large doors opened and closed for Jack, but he looked up when he'd swum a few feet from the table.

When he saw Jack, he smiled; it reached his eyes, if only just a bit. Jack's head fell just a bit more. "Jack. Sit down." Jack took the seat across from North, and waited for the speech he knew was coming. "You look tired. What is wrong?"

Jack may feel guilty with North, but that didn't make him any less annoyed. "Nothing's wrong. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Ah, you may not have done it, but still. Something is amiss." He leaned in and smiled good-naturedly. "Am I wrong?"

Jack slouched in his chair. "It wouldn't interest any of you. You wouldn't care."

"I think… we would."

Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You either wouldn't care, or you'd tell me not to do it again because it's stupid and irresponsible."

He wasn't watching, in favor of staring at the table but he knew North's dark brows rose to his hairline. "I thought you didn't do anything wrong."

"I didn't!" Jack shot up, and his tail whipped around itself uneasily. He regretted it the next moment because it was obvious from North's face that he'd just given away any hope of moping his way out of this. He sat back down with a mumbled apology, and waited for the next stage of the interrogation.
North raised his hands his hands in a surrendering fashion. "Alright, Jack. I apologize. That was unfair of me, to jump to conclusions." The sat in silence a few moments, until North finally cut to it. "Jack…. You know that we only want to help you. Every one of us- we are worried! You have a job, and undoubtedly, you do it well. But whenever that is over… you change! Your face is longer, your- your shoulders sink lower. You tail is limp like you're a child sent to bed without Supper!"

Jack didn't think to stop himself before he smirked, and once that was done, there was no point in holding back a toothy grin, even if it was still directed at the table. North saw it, though, and dug deeper.

"We don't know what is going on. We don't know if we can help. But we want to try. It is, after all, our job! Protect and watch over the creatures of the sea, helping where and when we can. Why not start in our own home?" Jack tried to deny he even needed help again, but North cut him off. Again. "You leave every morning¸ and only Babytooth has followed you. You come back exhausted, and you have a little less spirit in you. The longer this happens, the more you show us that something is not right."

Jack sat in silence, hovering slightly over his chair and wearing down the inside of his lip. North was right, but there was no way Jack would have listened to this a week ago, and it was pointless now. He remembered Babytooth offering to listen, and wondered if it really would help to talk. But…. "I – I don't know, North. You guys- you don't get me. And it's over now. I'm not going back there."

"But still, you are sad." North rose from his seat and moved his way around the table. He stopped next to Jack, and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. "As always, we cannot, and will not force you to tell us anything. But we are all here, one and all, when you finally decide to let us in." The hand left his shoulder, and Jack felt a bit colder.

-oOo-

The same morning, Hiccup was sitting on his bed and holding his stump out for Gobber to inspect. The leather straps of Hiccup's prosthetic foot and leg had been warped by the sea water the other day, and since they couldn't find his spares, Gobber had spent most of last night making a temporary replacement for him. It didn't quite fit, so the old Viking was trying to re-shape it then and there.

Stoick was standing by the door, watching Gobber pound and pull at the scraps of metal, and the way Hiccup got shiftier by the second. His son was leaning back on his hands and kept looking out the window, occasionally huffing a laugh out when his dragon came by to press his nose against the glass.

For Stoick, watching Hiccup was like watching… there was no comparison. Even now, Hiccup was a complete bafflement to everyone, including him. Watching him brought an internal conflict to mind: when to sit Hiccup down and have a serious discussion with him. It had been weeks of waiting for the right situation or moment, but none had come. Since it was clear there was no perfect time, now seemed as good as any. And if he was being honest, he could thank his stars that Gobber was already there to sort things out if it got too complicated. Which, knowing them, it probably would.

"Son…." Hiccup looked up. He had an expression that clearly said 'I knew It,' like he had been waiting for Stoick to speak. But there was no point in going back now. "I think – it might be time you take your responsibilities more seriously."

"Meaning…?" Hiccup trailed off, and Gobber darted a look at Stoick, then gave Hiccup and once-over, and ducked back to work.

"Meaning you're going to be Chief someday. And it's time you start acting like it." There. Straight to the point. Direct. Good.

"I didn't know I wasn't."

Or not good. "Come on, Hiccup. I'm being serious."

"So am I!" Hiccup lifted his shoulders to his ears." I thought that I was doing everything I'm supposed to do."

"You- you can't be serious!" At Hiccup's emphatic nod, Stoick sighed. "You're not."

"Then what am I missing?"

"You're just-." Stoick huffed and pulled a chair close to Hiccup's bed. It squeaked and groaned when he sat down, but it was new and strong enough to last the conversation. "You're doing what you're supposed to, yes. But it's only because you have to. It's a chore to you. You're supposed to care about these people, like they're your own!"

"I do!"

"You don't. That's how you treat your dragons."

Hiccup scoffed and turned his head to the window. "You're saying I'm playing favorites."

"Not just that, Hiccup. You're- not… a normal Viking."

"I think we've covered this already, Dad." Hiccup turned back to Gobber's work, and watched his leg being rotated and turned from side to side; giving his clear sign that he wanted the conversation to be over. But it wasn't.

"How do you expect to lead a group of people you don't understand?!"

Hiccup just stared at him, stubbornness in his eyes, along with a worrisome dose of confusion.

"I thought you would grow into the position, what with all the changes you're already made, but-." Stoick stopped, and pinched his nose. They weren't getting anywhere. "Gobber?"

Gobber sighed and dropped his tools and Hiccup's leg without ceremony. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think what your dad is trying to say, Hiccup, is that you're not a boy anymore. Sure, you'll never be completely like us; you've got past the width of our swords alright, but you're still scrawnier than most of our women. What you lack in strength, though, you've made up for in brains, and I've got to hand it to ya, you've done a smashing job with that." He grinned and slugged Hiccup's shoulder, almost knocking him back. "However…. Problem is, the village has got this feeling tha' you don't really want to be a part of… us. And, truth be told, I have to agree with 'em. You don't really get involved here anymore. You never did! 'Cept when your dad made you, of course."

"I can't change who I am."

Stoick groaned, and made his way back into the conversation. "We're not askin' you to, Hiccup! We're just asking that you try to be more of one of us. I know that you've got it in you to be a great leader, if you just did what was expected more often; tried the old ways at least once before just doing what you want."

Hiccup's mouth opened and closed; he tried at least five words before just huffing and lifting his stump out to Gobber again. He shut his mouth, glared at nothing, and waited silently for Gobber to clumsily strap the still out of shape prosthetic to his leg as best he could, standing the moment it was let down.

He stomped clumsily through the door, but hesitated just outside and turned back. "I'll think about it." He closed the door softly behind him, and a second later, they could hear his uneven and unbalanced steps on the stairs.

"Well." Gobber stood and scratched his chin. "That went well," he said, just as Stoick thought, 'That's it?'

Hiccup left the house in a stumbling huff, cursing his fake, too-big, too-short foot and the countless holes in the ground. "I'll think about it." Think about what? There was nothing to think about. He wasn't good enough for the Vikings, and they weren't good enough for him, and they all already knew that! That whole conversation was totally pointless because it had already been said before in too many different ways.

He would have gone ranting for who knows how long after that if he hadn't seen Astrid sitting next to Toothless, reading a book. He cracked a smile and made his way over to her; he hadn't seen anyone but Stoick, Gobber, and Toothless-through-a-window since his accident, and he owed Astrid a thank you. There was no way she didn't hear the terrible squeak of his fake foot, 'cause her head shot up the second he was in a ten foot radius. Both she and toothless flipped around, and… pounced.

It wasn't that Hiccup un-used to falling flat on his back with a huge dragon on top of him, but still, it never ceased to take the air from his lungs. And… usually Astrid wasn't on him too. Though, to be fair, she was really just bending over his face from the side.

"HICCUP! You're awake!" She helped him back to his feet; let him lean on her while he re-adjusted his foot. "How are you?"

"I'm, um, I'm great. Good as new." He flashed a grin. "Well…." He lifted his temporary prosthetic and showed it off. "I'm ready to get rid of this guy, but other than that…."

"What happened to your spares?"

"Apparently, they're not where I left them." He leaned in and whispered, "We're searching the Pogonas' nests." He gestured to a few small dragons circling an old Viking shield and taking turns trying to pry the metal center from it. Astrid snickered and gave his shoulder a shove. Apparently, she thought he was joking.

He chuckled along, but it kinda turned into a swallowed cough when he remembered why he was standing there. "Hey. Um…. I haven't said thank you yet. For saving me."

"Oh. Uh, no problem. I mean, it's not like no one else was looking for you." She half-chuckled, and Hiccup wished for the billionth time that it wasn't so awkward with her.

He realized he was scratching his head again (his biggest nervous-slash-awkward tell) and dropped his hand. "Yeah, still. Thanks." They shared a smile, and that made things a little easier, until….

"Are you alright? I mean, you look upset about something."

Hiccup had a response on the tip of his tongue immediately: the usual 'it's fine', which is the well-known code for 'I don't wanna talk about it'. But he held it for a bit, contemplating if anything good would come of asking Astrid's advice. Either way, he decided, he didn't want to get into it now. "Nah." He flashed his best care-free smile. "It doesn't really matter. You wanna go for a fly?"

She took the hint and returned the grin. "Sure!"

Hiccup let out a satisfied hum as he finished fastening the last strap of Toothless' tail gear. When wearing this, Toothless didn't need Hiccup to control anything in the air; he could handle flying on his own. It had taken months to design and create (with many worn-down pencils, re-starts, and torn-out clumps of hair), but had certainly proved itself worth all the hassle. Again and again, it had helped their flying tremendously, and now, it had saved their lives. Hiccup had made it specifically as a safety precaution during their stunts, and they had been using it the morning of the accident. Now he was mentally thanking his past self for thinking of it; if he hadn't, his dragon would have fallen with him and they would've both drowned.

Toothless was wearing the spare now, since Hiccup didn't have his usual foot, and couldn't help him with his flying. The dragon huffed and twitched his tail in annoyance, but held still enough, as a favor it Hiccup. Hiccup knew he didn't like wearing it, but he still hadn't really sorted out why. His best guess was the same reason it made Hiccup uncomfortable: it felt like they had lost a connection; a trust bond. But there was nothing to be done for it now, and both he and Toothless needed a good fly. So he petted his dragon's tail, and muttered a few words of sympathy before running up ahead and climbing onto the saddle. He nodded to Astrid (who was already on Stormfly), and they took off into the sky.

Their flying started off as a lazy race with no real start or end point, so no one knew who won. But Hiccup was the first to have his dragon slow down so that they could do what they came up to do: relax. There was no way to describe how Hiccup felt in the sky. He felt free, and light; like nothing mattered, and even if it did, he wasn't the one who had to care. Toothless glided smoothly beneath him, and he was high enough, far out enough, that there was only water below, and he was sitting in the clouds. The wind blew his hair around, gently enough to only slightly sting his face. He felt so free, he almost forgot Astrid was there; would have, if she wasn't flying slightly ahead of him, her hair catching the rays of the almost-risen sun.

She looked beautiful then, completely enraptured with her surroundings, and losing herself in the moment like Hiccup had just done. It was in moments like these that Hiccup wondered why it was that they'd decided they wouldn't work out. Of course, it was just then that Astrid turned and caught him staring with what he was really afraid was one of his "totally out of it" faces. Instead of looking annoyed, or even curious, though, she looked almost… sick. Hiccup realized, with his own sick feeling, that she looked scared. And really, right now, there could only be so many reasons for that.

Stormfly pulled back a bit 'til she and Hiccup were right by each other, and Astrid sat back. "Hiccup…."

Yup, he knew what was coming. He fought down the urge to just fly ahead of her, knowing he could lose her quick enough and avoid her the rest of the day. He really didn't want to talk about this right now. But he looked at her again. She looked really worried, and he suddenly felt stupid. There was no reason to not talk to her, and he could get the inevitable conversation over with. "Yeah?"

"I don't know if you remember-. Thor, I hope you don't…. When I picked you up from the rock. Do you remember that?" She looked at him hesitantly, like she was really afraid of his answer, and Hiccup decided he couldn't blame her. He guessed he would be too, if he was in her shoes.

He scratched the back of his head and looked upward. "Kind of. I remember what I told you, if that's what you're hedging around." Her guilty look told him he'd guessed right, and tamed his annoyance a bit. "But I don't remember anything after getting in the air." There was a pause, as Astrid thought through what he'd said and he wondered where exactly this was gonna go.

"So… do you really think you saw something in the water?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do." He resisted the urge to scratch his head again, keeping both his hands firmly planted on his saddles. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"NO! I mean…. Well…." Astrid winced. "Sirens, Hiccup? Here?"

Hiccup held his breath, and let it out sharp. He understood Astrid's skepticism. Sirens were only ever seen way out in the ocean; during the long voyages and sea-travels, and even then- they rarely bothered the tribe. (That was always credited to the generations of Chief Haddock luck.) As for the "here?"…. Well, that was just explained. Hiccup had been barely off the shores of Berk when he fell. The idea of a siren being so close to the island was not only unheard of, but really frightening. Anyone who heard that wouldn't know whether to laugh in the speaker's face and order another grog, or grab their families in one armful and lock themselves inside their house, never to return 'til the sea dried up and all the fishes died. If it really was true, that meant that sirens were branching out, and claiming more territory. It also meant leaving Berk would be a lot less safe. Which was bad for a sea-faring tribe.

But the thing was, if what saved Hiccup was a siren, then why did it save him? Every way he looked at it, it made no sense. But he knew what he saw, which was something that looked an awful lot like a white-haired, blue-tailed siren, floating in the water beneath him.

He sounded crazy.

"I know, but…." He exhaled. "I don't know what else it could have been. It couldn't have been a siren, 'cause- a siren would have killed me! But this… was exactly like everyone describes them. Beautiful, elegant, and… hauntingly soothing." Astrid opened her mouth, but Hiccup beat her to it. "And how do I know I wasn't hallucinating? Astrid, I know that I fell in the water. Deep. I lost consciousness when I could barely see the top. I woke up on a rock with an aching, heavy, burning chest, but no water to cough out. Something saved me. I know that. And sure. I might have imagined a blue tail wrapped around its body, and a human might be living underwater, keeping enough air to live on somehow, but really?"

Astrid exhaled loudly, not having an argument. "Well, it's not like it really matters now anyway." When he obviously didn't pick up on what she meant, she continued. "Well, it's not like there's anything you can do about it!"

He swallowed. "Actually…. I want to look for it."

"WHAT?!" Astrid pulled Stormfly to a harsh stop, and Toothless slowed to a halt to stay with her.

"I want to look for the siren – or whatever it is."

"Hiccup, I know you like to do crazy things, but that's crazy! I mean- you could get yourself killed!"

"May I remind you we're Vikings?"

"I know, but- for a half-fish?! That may or may not exist?!"

"Yes!" He threw his arms out to the side. "Yes! It's not like I'm swimming to it! I just want to take Toothless out around where I fell, and… see if it's there again."

Astrid shook her head. "Hiccup, I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? It's the exact same thing I did with Toothless." He had to stop, there; he smiled and gave his friend's neck a pat.

"Yeah, but because of that, you almost died. Multiple times!"

"And it was beyond worth it. Astrid…. If something's really out there, that saved my life-… I wanna find it. If it can speak, or at least understand me, I want to thank it."

Astrid scoffed and rolled her eyes. Hiccup doubted she could help it, but still, it hurt. She apparently saw his reaction, 'cause she sighed and calmed down. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I know you want someone to understand you here, but I don't think that's me. Or anyone else, for that matter. I think it'd be better, for everyone… if you just let this one go." She stiffened. "You haven't told anyone else, right?"

"No." He gave a wry grin. "I didn't think it'd go over well."

Astrid snorted and didn't feel guilty this time 'round; Hiccup was lightening the mood with a joke. "You were right there. Most people would stamp you as crazy and officially kick you out of Berk."

Hiccup just shook his head in amusement, pushing out the fact that while that was an exaggerated scenario, it had its basis. "Do you think I am?"

She hesitated. "I don't know what to think, Hiccup. I mean… I'm riding a dragon!" Hiccup laughed, and she smiled. "No, I don't think you're crazy. You're right that something saved you, and I'm eternally grateful for that, whether it was a well-meaning siren or something else entirely. But I still think that looking for it is a bad idea, if only just 'cause it's a waste of time." Hiccup had nothing to say, so he just nodded. "Give me a while to think on it; try to get my opinion sorted out. I'll get back to you later today." They rode in a comfortable enough silence before Astrid jerked with a cry of alarm. "We're late for the weekly meeting!"

They snuck quietly enough into the room. Not bothering to push past all the people to get to the semi-center, they just shrink down under every judging stare they get. Well. Astrid's fine; they trust her to have a good reason for being late. Hiccup, on the other hand, can't concentrate on the last of his dad's speech because of how many people have decided to just half-turn and stare at him, until he glares back. Everyone seemed to be disappointed in him today, and it just made matters worse that he deserved it this time.

After the meeting's finish (not a minute later) everyone shuffled out of the building. Hiccup was somehow in the end of the line, despite being the closest to the door, and was just about to leave when Stoick spotted him, and called him back. Hiccup flinched, but stepped out of the line and approached his father. His dad sat down in his big chair, and pushed another out with his foot, waiting for Hiccup to take it before leaning in and starting to talk.

"We both know what the problem is here, son. You don't want to be a Viking. And you likely never will."

Hiccup wished for something to close his hands around; a drink or something. He settled for squishing his fingers in his lap, the only sign of his nervousness. "I don't know what to say. You're right. Being a Viking used to be all I wanted. I didn't care if I died tomorrow, as long as before I did, I was accepted as one of you. But now-." He sighed and shook his head. "But there's not much of a choice, is there? I mean, Haddocks have been the chiefs of Berk for generations. I don't think anyone would be too keen on my skipping out, despite my- peculiarities…."

They both sigh and just sit there for a minute. Hiccup knows that Stoick knows this is all just talk; he'd be gone in a second, passing up his responsibilities as chief, if he had a good way out. But it wasn't just Stoick that wanted him to go through with this life. It wasn't just him he'd be letting down if he left. But he'd had enough of just pushing the arguments aside. At least he could be honest with where he stood.

"The truth is, Dad, I'm tired of Berk. I've done everything I can do here. I don't want to leave because of the people. Not only because of what you all would think of me, but because… I would miss you. I'd miss you, and Astrid, and Gobber, but- this isn't… this isn't the place for me."

"I can see that, Hiccup. I think I've known that for a long time now. I've just ignored it because… I didn't know how to deal with it. And, to be quite honest, I still don't. Normally, if a man wants and adventure, and to see something new, he gets out on one of our boats and sails off, headed for uncharted waters, likely to never return. But you…. Hiccup, you're supposed to be Chief soon. And you want to take your dragon and disappear! Or at least act like you did. Live on your own, maybe pop in once in a while and say 'hi', but… that's not the Viking way. That's not our way. And it can't happen."

A few hours later, Hiccup's making his own new foot, since they still haven't found his spares. His eyes hurt from concentrating on one thing for too long, and his fingers are stiffening, but he feels great; he hasn't worked for days. He'd just set a scrap down to yawn and scratch his head when Astrid barged in with a mighty grin. All he could do was stare, hand in his hair.

"We all know that once Hiccup Horendous Haddock the Third gets an idea in his head, it never leaves. And once he's put his mind to something, he either gets it done or nearly kills everyone trying. Therefore, we both know you're not going to listen to a word I say against looking for the sirens."

He couldn't deny her statement, but he didn't see a point in confirming it. So he just lowered his hand and tried to clear his throat.

Astrid pulled up a stool and plopped down in it, leaning in. "So let's make a deal. We go there every morning for exactly two weeks, starting tomorrow. And in all that time, if nothing's there, we forget about the whole thing."

Hiccup hesitated. There was no way two weeks was enough time for him to feel like he'd searched enough, and if he took her up on this offer, that would be all he got. But if he admitted to wanting longer than that, she'd accuse him of obsessing already.

"This is the best offer I'm gonna give you, Hiccup."

"Then alright." Maybe.

2nd A/N: If you didn't read the longer A/N, I'm saying this here. My biggest worry for this story is getting the characters wrong. So NO JOKE point anything OOC out, or give your POV on a character (however short or long, detailed or vague, I will appreciate it 'cause it can get me thinking on my own too). :) It can be through a PM here, a review, a message on tumblr (you can find my url on my author's page). I would really appreciate it.

And I want to change Babytooth's name into something less toothfairy, but I've been thinking on it a long time, and I really love the name Baby (just as a name) but I'm afraid everyone's gonna get sucked into 'Dirty Dancing' every time she shows up if I do that. Suggestions? :D

Also, all reports of typos and the like are appreciated.

- tofs

REPLIES TO GUEST REVIEWS:

Chucky B:Thank you! I'm hoping (if you're still reading) that it stays unique. I really like bringing something new to the table. :)

Pilpols: Here's more! :D Like... almost a year later. :( Sorry.

Guest (Severusly): I see yer point. And I thanked you for it, and explained, and forgot to address it bigly for all the other readers to see. :/ Next chapter! XD Once I've fixed up the first chapter, eh? :) Thanks for reading.

Guest: Thanks! :) I'm glad it got 4 stars. What's this chapter's rating?

eater: Here it iiiiis! I hope you're still reading. :) Thanks for the review!

I have never not appreciated a review.