Sorry for the long wait everyone! School has gotten me a little frazzled. Have I told you guys I don't even have a lunch this year? A four period teaching vocational, choir, government, biology, and English! No room for such luxuries as eating (I eat in class... my teacher lets me!) On the upside, I'm another year older (my birthday was the 3rd), I put a lot of thought in this story! Because of all those thoughts, I know some more of what's going to happen and a T rating will now be appropriate.

I hope you guys enjoy!


It was still early when they swooped in low over Berk. Some of the villagers were out in the field or tending to their livestock and of those who were out, they all looked up towards the mysterious shadow in the sky in shock. Some abandoned their chores to run after the shadow.

Hiccup and Astrid had their dragons land in the center of town and the villagers caught up to them. It was no surprise that at the sight of two dragons, people ran screaming or grabbed their weapons and came charging.

Stormfly squawked, frightened.

"Easy girl," Astrid said soothingly, rubbing the Nadder's neck.

Hiccup slipped from Toothless' back and put a calming hand on the Night Fury's snarling snout as he put his other hand in the air to prove he was not armed or grabbing for a weapon. "It's okay!" he shouted. "We aren't going to hurt you and neither are the dragons! Please put your weapons down!"

The people didn't look too convinced, but they all stopped in their tracks, though most kept their weapons in their hands. They gave the visitors a wide berth.

It was almost as if the people had never seen humans before as they stared at young people in silent awe. What kind of a person could tame dragons? Who were these strangers? What kind of powers did they have over the beasts?

Suddenly, there was a murmur in the crowd of slack-jawed Hooligans and then someone shouted "It's Hiccup!"

Recognition lit up everyone's faces one by one.

"It is Hiccup!" someone agreed. They had all thought the scrawny little heir had died somehow. Some thought he had been taken and eaten like his mother. He shouldn't have been standing in front of them now. He couldn't be grown and confidently standing before them with his hand on the snout of a dragon. It was impossible. Hiccup was far too weak to fend for himself. The very sight of the dragons this close made the bravest warriors' hearts jump into their throat. The idea that Hiccup was brave enough to touch a dragon was shocking.

"That's my Astrid!" cried a booming voice.

Astrid craned her neck to try and see her father.

"Mama... why is everybody yelling?" Alana mumbled against Astrid's shoulder, rubbing her eyes with her fists. In the commotion, Astrid had almost forgotten about the little one snuggled against her.

"They didn't think Daddy and I would ever come home and they're surprised to see us." Astrid replied quietly. "It's okay."

Alana nodded.

"We're getting down, okay?"

"Okay," Alana said, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck.

Astrid carefully got down from Stormfly.

Not surprisingly, Arvid Hofferson was the first person to gather the courage to get near the dragons to greet his daughter.

"Astrid," Arvid said. "You're alive."

Astrid nodded. She missed him. She didn't miss him enough to return sooner, but she still missed him.

"Look at you all grown up." he added tearfully. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Dad."

Alana turned her head. She didn't know her mother had a daddy. She wanted to see what he looked like.

Finn smiled at the girl, making Alana smile back. "Who's this little one?"

"This is Alana, my daughter."

Arvid's eyes grew wide and was about to ask a question when he was cut off by a shriek of "My baby!"

From seemingly nowhere, a weepy woman came and pulled Astrid into a hug.

"Oh, Astrid, you've come home to us!" the woman sobbed. "My baby, you're alive! I missed you, dear!"

Astrid was tense in the hug. "...Hello Mother," she said uncomfortably. She had never been particularly close to her mother, having always found her over emotional and possessive. She was her mother's doll. Though she couldn't say she hated her, she didn't love her mother like she loved her father.

Arvid shot Astrid an apologetic look as her mother rambled on and wiped at her eyes, ignoring Alana completely. He wasn't really fond of his wife either. The marriage between them was arranged by their parents when they were twenty and he had never learned to love Siv as his father said he would. Astrid, in his eyes, was the only good thing to have come out of their union.

"What is all this commotion?" demanded a voice Hiccup knew well. Everyone stopped yammering at the same second. Astrid took her mother's distraction as an opportunity to move to stand beside Hiccup, not out of fear, but out of spite, as a way of saying 'look, we're here, we're happy, and there's nothing you can do about it'.

Stoick the Vast inched his way to the center of the crowd.

"It's your boy, Stoick, he's come home!" Mulch shouted.

"Nonsense! Hiccup is de-" the Chief's eyes fell on the young man in the center of attention and his words failed him. He would know that boy anywhere, at any age. In the past seven years, Hiccup had grown taller and stronger, though he was still thin. The messy auburn hair, green eyes, and scar on his chin signified that the boy was in fact his son.

"Hiccup?" he asked, just to be certain that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him

"Hi Dad," Hiccup replied, his confidence far from wavering.

Stoick looked overjoyed, angry, and disappointed all at once. He and Hiccup just looked at each other, seeing who would make the first move. Astrid and the rest of the Berkians watched the two of them in silence.

"We thought you'd been killed." Stoick growled. "And you ran off? You abandoned your island for dragons? The beasts that have ravaged our homes for generations? The monsters that took your mother?"

"I always knew there was somehow wrong with that one!" Spitelout shouted, but he was ignored.

Astrid reached out to squeeze his hand. "I had to... We had to, Dad. I know how to help with the dragons, I've learned... You-you wouldn't understand! I-"

Stoick cut him off. "Then you will make me understand, boy. Come with me."

Hiccup started to shake his head, ready to say that Astrid had to come too, but Astrid shook her head at him instead and urged him to go.

He patted Toothless reassuringly and told him to stay with Stormfly, the dragon whined, but lay down obediently.

"Good boy," Hiccup praised before starting towards his father.

"Daddy, no!" Alana cried, reaching out toward him. She didn't know what was going on or why the big, scary man wanted her daddy.

Ignoring the gasps and new round of murmuring from the crowd, Hiccup took Alana from Astrid. "It's okay, Alana. You stay with Mommy and I'll see you soon."

"No," Alana whined, grabbing onto him tightly.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Everything's going to be fine. I promise. No one's going to hurt you, or the dragons, or Mommy, or me. And I'll see you as soon as I can. Okay?"

Alana thought for a minute, then nodded.

"That's my girl." Hiccup kissed her head and gave her back to Astrid.

"Are you ready now?" Stoick asked impatiently.

"Yes."

Hiccup followed his father towards his childhood home and Astrid and Alana were whisked away by Siv.


"You have some serious explaining to do, boy." Stoick said after he closed the door. "And start at the beginning."

"Promise not to interrupt me first." Hiccup said.

"What?"

"I know you, you always try to interrupt me, just promise me you won't."

Stoick sighed and sat. "I won't interrupt you, Hiccup."

Hiccup, baffled by his father's agreeableness and the lack of shouting, began the extremely short version of his story. "I did shoot down a dragon, the black one I was standing by, his name is Toothless... I found him and he was hurt, his tail fin ripped off. I could've killed him, but I didn't because he was scared and so was I. I cut him free and kept coming back to see him. It took a while, but we ended up trusting each other. I made him a tail fin and figured out how to fly with him. I was doing so good at Dragon Training because I was doing everything I learned from Toothless. I couldn't kill a dragon after Toothless and when I found out I was supposed to kill one in front of everyone... I decided to leave."

Stoick's eyebrows were furrowed, but he waited until he was sure Hiccup was done talking. "How did Astrid get involved in your shenanigans?"

"She caught me in the woods with Toothless. She was going to tell, but I took her flying. She loved it. I told her I was leaving... she asked if she could come. Before we left, we let all the dragons from the ring out. I taught her how to train the blue and yellow Nadder. We've been helping other villages train dragons ever since."

"And the little girl?"

"Well, considering she called me 'Daddy', I'm not really sure what you're expecting me to say."

"Watch your attitude, Hiccup."

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Astrid's her mother, I assume?"

"No, Dad. I sleep around. You know me, I can't control myself." came Hiccup's sarcastic reply.

"How far has your relationship with Astrid gone?"

"Are you really asking me that? Didn't we just establish that she and I have a daughter?"

Stoick sighed. "Right... so how long have you and Astrid been married?"

"We aren't."

"WHAT?!"

"Astrid and I are not married." Hiccup repeated calmly.

"So you're telling me that you brought back Arvid Hofferson's daughter... unpure?"

"By this society's standards, I suppose."

Stoick glared at Hiccup.

"Dad, we're happy, okay? I'm sorry you can't understand that. Maybe it's too complex a concept... I don't know. I didn't agree to let Astrid come along to get her pregnant. I let her come along because she asked me, she wanted out too. How was I supposed to know I was going to fall in love with her? So I did things differently than you would've wanted me to. We didn't come here to stay... we came to help you with the dragons because we know how. But if we're not welcome, my family and I will more than gladly leave."

It was silent in the house for a few moments. Hiccup turned to leave the house, to find Astrid and tell her they were leaving, but he was stopped by a simple word.

"Alright,"

Hiccup turned to face his father. "What?"

Stoick rose from his chair. "As Chief of Berk, I accept your help with the dragons. If you still wish to help, that is."

Hiccup smiled a little. He honestly didn't think it would be so easy.

"And, as your father, I invite you stay with me during your time here, you and your family."

Hiccup's smile grew. "Thanks Dad,"

"You're welcome, son."

"I'm going to go get Astrid."

Stoick nodded and Hiccup left the house.

The chief sat back in his chair. Hopefully he could convince them to stay for good. He had missed his boy more than words could explain.


A/N: I'll get into more of why Astrid isn't so fond of her mother as well as why Stoick seems to be under-reacting.

I hope you liked Hiccup's sassy attitude!

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!