A/N

Soooo...I'm back and sooner than expected. Enjoy the chapter! And by the way, loved all the reviews, you're awesome guys! :)

Warning: I'm going to my grandparent's house where there is no internet so there won't be a new chapter until 10.08.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Five minutes. That's how long Astrid's patience was. How did she know that? That was the amount of time she was locked out of Haddock residence before she started pounding on the door.

"Astrid!" Stoick came out and sighed. He carefully closed the door after him, but Astrid still saw all the gauze and blood on the table. Heck, she could smell it and she wasn't even a dragon.

Stoick's shoulders were slumped and his face had a shadow of a tormented man on it, his eyes dark, like he had locked out the rest of the world from his heart. His clothing had blood smeared all over it. This wasn't her chief. This person she didn't know.

"You can't lock me out! I have...I need to know how he is! I need to see him!" Astrid insisted rather loudly.

"And I know that, dear, but Gothi was clear about her instructions. No visitors. I'm sorry!" Stoick squeezed her shoulders as if showing his persistence.

"No, you don't get it! I love him! I need to see him! I can help!" Astrid trembled in anger and fear.

"I know, lad, I know! And I'm sorry," Stoick kept apologizing, "I know you love him and care for him. But just for one night, okay? Then I'll let you see him."

Astrid didn't like the chief begging, if he used a harsher tone on her, she would fight back. Tell him it was still early and she had a whole day in front of her, before the night even sets in. But she didn't, she couldn't refuse him know. She couldn't put him through more hardships than necessary.

"Al...Alright!" Astrid sighed. She looked down at her fingers grasping down at the hem of her skirt.

"Thank you!" Stoick whispered before she heard him disappear behind the door again.

Astrid was at the loss here, she didn't know what to do. She could sit outside the house and wait, but something said that wouldn't help her meet Hiccup. She could go help Snotlout and the Twins patrol around the island, but was sure that in her state of mind she wouldn't see danger approaching even it was right in front of her.

Astrid overlooked the village from the small hill. Why did they leave Hiccup alone on the Dragon's Edge? Why didn't she stay? It had only been four days since she bid her "good-byes" to him. He had smiled and looked happy. And Astrid knew that in that moment so had she.

Now she desperately wanted to return to that moment. Kiss him, hug him, and see his cheeky smile.

Astrid felt herself cry again. She looked up at the sun, but didn't have the power to stop the tears. She let herself cry. She was allowed to cry, right? Scary girls cry too, right? Maybe this was her redemption. Maybe this was the Gods way of saying "it's your fault and now you can't do anything for him". If only she didn't leave. If only she didn't leave that damned island, she could be listening to Hiccup's blabber, for all she knew. She tried to remember those moments. When Hiccup was so excited he could rattle on and on about one subject with that never ending excitement of his. She always enjoyed watching him, though sometimes she could only understand every fifth word he was saying.

A loud crash interrupted her self-loathing. It came from Gobber's workshop.

"Toothless!" She gasped in horror and moved. She ran down the hill cursing. How stupid of her to forget. Hiccup wasn't the only one with his life on line. How could she concentrate on Hiccup and forget about his dragon? She was horrible. But with that she found her answer. If she can't help Hiccup, the least she can do was take care of Toothless for him.

"Gobber!" She stumbled inside the workshop taking in the mess. Well, it was always messy in there, but this looked like Thunderdrum had gone wild.

"Astrid! Just in time! Maybe you'll have a bit more luck calmin' the little devil down!" Gobber huffed out.

Astrid noticed Fishlegs behind him. He looked tired and depressed but then again most of the villagers now wore the same expression. He raised her hand in greeting and got back to shuffling through Gobber's stuff.

"Hi, Fish, how is it?"

"I managed to get his saddle off," Fishlegs pointed to the corner of the shop not even bothering to look up from the job he was doing, "well, what's left of it anyways. Hiccup will have a lot of repairing to do, when he'll get back on his feet."

Astrid froze for split second and looked at the friend. He believed in Hiccup. He didn't say "if he wakes up", he said "when". That means Hiccup will pull through and for a moment Astrid felt dizzy with relief, Fishlegs words were like a reassurement to her. She took a deep breath to calm her racing thoughts down. She'll leave worries, fears, and all the questions for later. Now it seemed like she had a job to do.

"How can I help?"

"Well we can start by getting him to stop movin'!" Gobber showed her Toothless. The Night Fury was growling at her.

"What happened?"

"Odin's name, I don't know!" Gobber sighed and closed in on the dragon only to get hissed at, "See?"

"Maybe he wants Hiccup?" Fishlegs guessed.

"Of course he does! But before he can see him, I need to stop that darn bleeding, before he bleeds out in the shop! Not good for the reputation ya know!" Grobber grumbled waving his hook around.

"Okay, okay. Think, there has to be something we can do! Think!" Astrid interrupted any further dispute of feelings.

"Show him Hiccup!" Fishlegs suggested.

"Fishlegs, we alre..." Astrid crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I mean Hiccup draws, right? There has to be some picture with him on it!" Fishlegs interrupted and left Astrid thinking. That could actually work.

"Great! I'll look in his workshop!" Gobber said.

"Wait I'll go!"

"Eh? Sure." Gobber waved her off and left in the search for his instruments.

Astrid ran to the back, dodging corners and sharp objects. Even though they have known each other since birth and now are even dating, she had been in Hiccup's workshop only a few times. It always had seemed like Hiccup's special place, where only he and Toothless belonged.

And now even this place looked cold, like it knew Hiccup was in trouble. Astrid found Hiccup's sketchbook buried under several layers of papers. There were schemes for Toothless' tail, dragon stables, even his own prosthetic leg. And those were the ones Astrid recognized, there were tons of papers with drawings she couldn't even understand, but knowing Hiccup it was probably for dragons and something very, very smart.

The girl took the sketchbook and was about to leave, when she noticed a half opened drawer. She opened it fully and looked inside. The drawings there were somehow...different...more personal. She didn't know if she was supposed to see this, but couldn't look away. One particular piece of paper caught her eye. She noticed Hiccup in it. He was smiling in the background, arms crossed over his chest and leaning on his good foot. His expression was...loving. Astrid couldn't find a different word for it. Hiccup in the drawing was looking at her and Toothless chasing each other.

What's more Astrid remembered that day. Month ago they had gone on a flight with Toothless. They had a picnic on a remote island and Toothless had snatched her sandwich. Hiccup hadn't thought it was necessary to help her so she was left alone to deal with the sneaky dragon. Toothless had dodged her every attack and in the end she was exhausted and bit angry at Hiccup laughing. Later though Toothless came forward with this shy expression plastered all over his face and she had accepted the silent apology. After that she spent an hour rubbing Toothless as a punishment, knowing full well how much the dragon enjoyed it.

Astrid pulled back from the memory feeling a painful stab in her heart.

"You got lost in there, Astrid?" Gobber yelled and Astrid remembered what she was supposed to do.

"I'm coming." Astrid responded and quickly rummaged through the drawer in hopes of finding something for Toothless. She found the perfect drawing and took it along the one she saw earlier. She left the sketchbook back on the table and went back.

"Got it!" Astrid yelled.

The blond girl approached the dragon holding the chosen drawing in front of her. It was Hiccup on the back of Toothless. They both were smiling.

"Toothless, look! It's Hiccup!"

The dragon purred at her what seemed to be the saddest sound she had ever heard Toothless make.

"Toothless, Hiccup is fighting. He'll be alright. So you have to allow us to help you." Astrid spoke in half whisper carefully reducing the distance between them. "You want to fly with him, right?"

Toothless purred again and Astrid took that as a "yes". She nodded for Fishlegs and Gobber to be ready.

"You have to get better, okay Toothless? For Hiccup." She smiled a bit at sight of dragon eyeing the paper,"Please?"

Toothless lowered his head and Astrid carefully placed her palm on it.

"It's okay!" She said to the men who immediately went to the work. Astrid set the drawing of Toothless and Hiccup aside and the other one in her boot. Having it near her mad her feel better.

Astrid turned her attention to what both of the men were doing. Toothless had a big gash over his stomach, which Hiccup had somehow sealed with a cream of some sorts, but it had reopened. He also had several small puncture wounds and a big amount of bruises. Astrid had a feeling that Toothless had protected Hiccup by shielding the boy from most of the attacks.

"Oh, Toothless" Astrid sighed when Toothless let out a whine. She kept stroking his head while Fishlegs and Gobber took care of the wounds. Ten minutes turned into thirty and then two hours. She kept stroking his head and whispered quiet words, though knew Gobber had given him sedative and he most likely didn't hear a thing. When they finally finished, it was mid-afternoon and her legs were numb from sitting in the same position for all that time.

"He won't be able to fly for a while," Fishlegs commented, "but he'll manage. The wounds maybe won't even scar."

"Really?" Astrid felt like she heard the fist good news in years.

"Yes, though we'll see a very grumpy dragon running around these next couple of weeks," Fishlegs smiled reassuringly, "We all know how he gets, when he doesn't feel the wind under his wings for a long time."

"Yeah." Astrid sat back against the wall, outstretching her legs to get some blood into them. She heard as Fishlegs talked with Meatlug and looked outside. She started to worry about Stormfly's whereabouts but found her right outside the shop looking at her with worried eyes. The dragon had quietly been at her side all this time.

"I'm fine, girl!" Astrid tried to lie. It wasn't a very convincing lie, besides she couldn't fool her dragon in the first place. Still it felt good to know she was near her.

"Maybe you need some air." Gobber suggested, "We'll be fine here."

"I...can't!"

"Of course you can! Ya have your own beast to worry about." He gestured to Stormfly. "I'll take care of him. You've done all you can."

"I don't know." Astrid was reluctant. What if she was needed? There was so much happening right now, she couldn't just leave.

"Thor in the underpants, just go!" Gobber pulled her on her feet and literally pushed her out.

That didn't leave her much of a choice. She got on Stormfly and noticed how glad the dragon was to have her back. It made her feel a pang of guilt. Now she even made her own dragon worry. What a rider she was!

"I'm sorry!" She whispered to the dragon before shooting up in the sky. She needed to feel the cold wind against her cheeks, to feel the cold, numbing feeling of high speed flight. But more than that she felt that with each spin, somersault and turn her anger was dispersing. She was angry at the Gods for letting this happen, at Stoick for kicking her out of the house, at herself for leaving Dragon's Edge and at Hiccup. Gods, how angry she was at him! He wasn't allowed to leave her. He wasn't allowed to scare her like this! He wasn't...wasn't allowed to make her so weak.

She allowed anger to form in her heart and then let it all out in the wind. Finally, as Stormfly leveled off, she let herself cry. Again. Only this time there wasn't anyone or anything to interrupt her. So she cried on the back of her trusted friend until she felt like she cried out all the liquid in her body. Until her throat was hoarse, her eyes hurt and she was cold. So very, very cold. But she kept flying. She hoped the cold will help her forget the warmth of Hiccup's blood on her hands. And maybe she felt like punishing herself. Some tiny voice thought that if she was up in the sky long enough, she'd forget everything that happened on the ground.

She didn't know how long she stayed up between the clouds but when she finally gathered her courage to land the sun was already setting. Astrid felt calmer, more composed for the moment but she knew what she had to do. She needed to know how Hiccup was. She needed to check up on Toothless. She needed to dive head first in the nightmare the day had turned out to be.

"Thank you, girl!" She hugged the dragon and it purred back. "It really helped."

She fed her some chicken, making sure to show her every pound of gratitude and love she had for her before running off to Hiccup's house. Her toes were numb and she felt like tripping most of the way, the village was quiet, only a few Vikings were outside walking with their heads hung low. She reached the house and was about to knock when the door opened.

"I knew you'd come." Stoick stepped out and closed the door behind him. This time Astrid couldn't sneak a peek inside. Stoick looked a bit better, he had finally grasped the situation. Like Astrid, he as well, had finally come out of the state of shock.

"How is he?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"We don't know...yet. Gothi's...inside." He faltered and Astrid sensed something else was going on. Something Stoick didn't want to tell her.

"And?

"It's the first night. If...if he pulls through, there...there's hope." Stoick paused and Astrid froze. She could hear her heart pumping. "Gothi...she's not sure if he's strong enough."

Stoick finally pushed through gritted teeth and Astrid had to take a step back.

"No!" She whispered and the raised her voice as the realization dawned on her, "NO!"

She seemed to have startled Stoick because he grabbed for her shoulders.

"Astrid!"

"No!" She shook his hand off and hugged herself, the warmth from the run had disappeared and the cold returned. "He's strong. He's strong enough. He'll wake up!"

She tried to convince the man in front of her. Astrid suddenly remembered all the times Hiccup had saved her. Gods, it was so many times. So many. He was strong and brave and selfless and kind and smart. A man like that couldn't die. It would throw the whole world off balance.

"Astrid, he most likely flew from the Dragon's Edge with that wound. We should be glad he made it at all." Stoick tried to reason with her, but suddenly Astrid's anger resurfaced and she had someone to target it at.

"He's your son. How can you say it? You just don't want him to wake up!" She yelled the most senseless things which she knew weren't true but couldn't stop herself. "You just don't think he's strong!"

"ASTRID!" Stoick's yell overwhelmed her and she shut her mouth before she could yell the next wave of stupid assumptions, "I have been there all day. I felt how weak his pulse were, I saw how hard he was breathing, how bad he was. I'm saying this because I don't think of you as a foolish child, am I wrong?"

Astrid panted. Stoick was angry. Very angry. She had said something horrible to the man whose son was lying in the house barely alive.

"Sorry!"

"I said you what Gothi thinks. She looks at facts and tells what she sees. It is not her place to give false hope and so is mine." Stoick gave her a hard glare for a moment but looking back at the house his features softened, "I believe in my son. He is a strong boy. He won't be beaten by this. What do you believe in?"

Stock's question forced her to think. The red anger was gone as fast as it had appeared leaving a hazy mind behind. She felt like the answer to this question was very, very important.

"Hiccup's...strong. I believe him." Astrid looked at the house in front of her and then at her Chief, "And I think you are right. I'm...I'm sorry."

Stoick smiled and surprised Astrid pulling her in a brief hug.

"Then don't forget that!" He smiled, though the smile barely reached his eyes, "Astrid, you're a strong, young woman and Hiccup is lucky to have you. When he wakes up, he'll need you."

Astrid looked at the Viking in front of her. Just like Fishlegs, Stoick believed in "when" not "if". Then why was she so hung up on the later? Did she really had given in to fear so much that she would doubt even the most clearest things? Like how Hiccup always could be trusted. How he always found a way to pull through any difficulties. How he had never disappointed her.

That was it! She just needed to believe in Hiccup and the word "when". No "if" or "maybe", but "when".

"It's been a long day." Stoick looked over the village. "You should get some rest and come see Hiccup tomorrow, alright?"

Astrid wanted to protest, to say she wanted to meet him now, just in case, but caught herself on time. She couldn't think like that. She'll see Hiccup tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow was good. Tomorrow, when Hiccup will be better.

She nodded to Stoick and turned around. The man watched her as she descended the small hill and only then entered his home.

Astrid reached her home, patted Stormfly sleeping in her hut and went up to her bed. She tried to sleep, really did. But after an hour of tossing and turning she gave up. Not really thinking she went back downstairs only to find Stormfly waiting for her at the door.

"Stormfly?" The dragon had seemed to have sensed her mood. So when Stormfly indicated for her to get on her back, she did it and let the dragon lead her wherever she had intended to.

Though she didn't think it would be the Dragon Academy. She flew in through the gate and immediately saw people in there. There was Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and all of their dragons. They were all sitting around a campfire and didn't seem the least surprised seeing her.

"What's happening?" Astrid slid off her dragon and joined the group.

"Nothing!" Snotlout immediately took a defensive tone.

"Really?"

"None of us could sleep!" Fishlegs leaned against Meatlug.

"All of you?" Astrid was surprised to hear that.

"Of course not. Hookfang didn't let me get any sleep. I'm not worrying, you hear me? I'm not!" Snotlout insisted.

"No one said you were!" Astrid shook her head, too tired to get in an argument, instead looked to the Twins. She understood Fishlegs and Snotlout, but twins never really seemed to car much about emotions. "You too?"

"We looove destruction! Everyone knows that!" Tuffnut shrugged.

"But we also love getting on Hiccup's nerves!" Ruffnut added and fell silent for a moment, "And you know, who's gonna help us with Barf and Belch if they get in trouble again and who's gonna save us and bail us out of trouble. We couldn't stop thinking like that."

Everybody felt silent. Who knew Twins were worried about things like that? Who knew they were actually thinking once in a while?

Tuffnut was the one to break the silence with a harsh jab to his sister's ribs.

"That was waaay too much emotion! I should stop hanging around you so much."

"I guess your reason is similar." Fishlegs turned his attention from the fight to Astrid.

"Pretty much." She settled down against Stormfly's side and tried to relax.

She wasn't the only one to grieve or be scared. Pretty much everyone was doing the same thing. Only each of them handled it differently. Night in front of them will be long, she knew it, but at least she had a company.

Back at the village Toothless and Hiccup was fighting for their lives but Astrid looked at her friend and smiled, whatever battle may come, they will battle it for Hiccup. And they will win.


A/N

So I had no idea this would turn out like it did, but let me hear your thoughts and leave a comment!

Till next time...

:)