Backache:

Hiccup felt himself moving, like he was in a ship on the waves. A low moaning noise registered through the sleepy haze that hovered over him. Slowly the haze began to lift, and he realized that his wife was tossing and turning in the bed and groaning beside him.

"Astrid?" Hiccup turned to Astrid, who had a hand squeezing her lower back and moaned.

"Astrid, are you okay?" Hiccup asked as he set his hand on Astrid's shoulder.

"My back hurts," Astrid replied. "I think I must have twisted or pulled something when I slipped on the ice."

Hiccup set a hand over hers on her back. "Right here?"

Astrid nodded.

"Here, roll on your stomach," Hiccup instructed as he pulled himself into a sitting position as Astrid rolled over. He straddled her thighs, and set his hands on her lower back to massage her. The muscles in her back were very tight. Hiccup frowned in concern as he began to gently dig his fingers into her back and try and loosen the muscles.

Astrid seemed to relax as the muscles in her back slowly loosened up. Astrid relaxed a bit.

"Thanks, babe," she sighed.

"Anything for you, m'lady," Hiccup replied. He massaged her back a bit longer, then laid back down and tucked the blankets around him and his wife. Astrid snuggled back up against Hiccup, and he put his arm around her. The wind outside howled ferociously. Astrid groaned.

"I'm getting really tired of this storm," she seethed.

Hiccup chuckled. "That makes two of us."

"Remember all the time we spent here as kids?" Astrid asked.

"Of course I do."

"Remember how we never wanted to leave?'

Hiccup chuckled, knowing what was coming next. "Well, we never got snowed in for this long."

"Ergh!" Astrid buried her face into Hiccup's chest. "Just our luck we'd get trapped."

Hiccup chuckled again and kissed the top of her head.

"I wish I could go back to those times, though," Astrid sighed. "Everything was simpler back then."

Hiccup bit his lip and pulled her closer. "Yeah, I know."

Astrid chuckled. "Remember when Tuffnut thought he was going to turn into a Lycanwing?"

Hiccup leaned his head back and laughed. "Oh, do I ever! He tried to give Ruffnut to me as a sister. I don't know which of us was more relieved that there was actually no curse…"

Astrid smiled. "Well, don't tell her I said this, but I am glad that I don't have to have Ruffnut as an inlaw."

Hiccup let out a nervous chuckle. "Don't worry, your secret is-"

Astrid suddenly tensed in Hiccup's arms.

"Astrid?" Hiccup looked down at her, his brow furrowed in concerned as he saw her pained face.

"Backache is coming back," she grumbled through clenched teeth.

Hiccup sat back up and began to try to help Astrid roll back over, but she shook her head. She sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"I think I need to walk it off," she explained as she began to pace back and forth across the floor. Hiccup sat, watching his wife walk around the hut as she rubbed her lower back.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked.

Astrid shook her head. "No, I'll be fine, just go back to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

Astrid shot Hiccup a small smile. "Yes, it's just a pulled muscle, go to sleep."

Hiccup laid back down, but stayed awake a while longer to make sure Astrid was okay. After a few minutes of nothing else happening, Hiccup let the sound of the storm, and his wife's footsteps lull him to sleep.

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Hiccup woke up to the sound of something scraping at the door of the hut. Groaning he rolled back over and tried to go back to sleep.

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

"Squawk!"

Hiccup moaned and pulled himself out of the bed. "I guess I'm just not destined to sleep tonight," he mumbled as he walked to the door. He took his sword off a hook on the wall just to be safe before opening the door.

"Stormfly?"

The Deadly Nadder rushed passed Hiccup into the hut and to a far back corner.

"Stormfly, what are you…?how did you-" as Hiccup walked towards the dragon he passed by the bed, and realized that Astrid was not in it. He glanced about the hut, but didn't see her anywhere.

"Astrid?"

"Over here," came a faint reply from the corner Stormfly had rushed to. Hiccup rushed over and pushed past the dragon, upsetting her greatly. The Nadder snapped at him, but he pushed her snout away to find his wife huddled in the corner clutching her stomach, with a grimace of pain on her face.

"Astrid?" Hiccup quickly dropped to her level and set his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Do I need-?"

"Hiccup, I'm fine," Astrid said with tears on her face.

"Then why are you crying?"

Astrid didn't answer right away as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

"Astrid?"

Astrid hung her head as she answered, "My cycle has come back."

Hiccup's heart ached as he understood. "Oh." Hiccup lowered himself to sit next to her. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"I'm sorry, Astrid," he whispered as her gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I wish I could fix this for you, for us."

"I know you do," Astrid answered. "And I'm sorry, too."

They said nothing else, they just sat there, tears slowly rolling down their cheeks. Stormfly stared at her rider, cooing worriedly. Astrid set a hand on her dragon's snout, and nestled her head against her husband's shoulder. Hiccup set his hand on Astrid's head and ran his fingers through her hair.

Hiccup felt something stirring at his side. He awoke and realized that he and Astrid had fallen asleep in the corner. He opened his eyes to find Astrid stumbling to a barrel of water. She was clutching her stomach as she dipped a bucket into the barrel and set it on the floor. "Stormfly, warm it up," she ordered her Deadly Nadder, who was still hovering near her rider. Stromfly obliged, and shot a blast of fire into the bucket.

"Astrid, are you okay?" Hiccup asked as he stood to his feet.

"Cramps are really bad," Astrid answered, as she clutched her abdomen. "Can you get me a rag, babe?"

Hiccup opened a nearby trunk and retrieved a rag. He handed to his wife. She dunked it into the bucket, then walked back over the bed, pulled her nightgown up to set the rag on her abdomen. Hiccup laid down next to her.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Astrid shook her head. "I'll be fine, just go to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

Astrid nodded. Hiccup frowned in worry as he set his hand over her army. He was just about to drift off asleep. When Astrid suddenly let out a sharp cry. Hiccup jolted back awake.

"Astrid, wha-" Hiccup insides suddenly went cold, as he looked down and saw a red puddle forming underneath Astrid's legs.