Well folks, this is the penultimate chapter of 'One Last Problem,' and - for those of you unfamiliar with Monty Python scetches about Leonardo DaVinci - that means this is the second to last update.

I wanted to bring that up for two reasons: 1) to bring people who may have skipped the massive author's note from last time up-to-date and 2) to express my greatest thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and writing in asking for more.

My special thanks goes out to TheRaven'sComputerDesk, Toph the blind warrior, LionHeart, The Mad shoe1, Gizmobunny, GhibliGirl91, slpytlak, Star and Calico for their Chap. 13-centric fan love. You guys are making this sabatical worse in the best way possible.

...and that may be the weirdest phrase of praise I've ever typed. Ah well. Onto the Chapter!

Toothless had spent the majority of a cold, wet night, miserably hunched against the floor of the mouth of the cave. He had had to blast the earth regularly to keep warm. So regularly, in fact, that he was currently sitting in a smoldering pit a foot deep into the rock. Which he was considering reblasting again soon. If his loyalty to two humans hadn't kept him there, he would have never spent such a miserable night out in the cold.

But as the rising sun began to light the eastern sky, he saw something that finally made that miserable night pay off.

There had been all sorts of strange noises coming from the pit throughout the night went on. But now familiar voices were starting to rise from the darkness in a way that announced their owners were getting closer. Toothless shuffled over to the edge of the lip and peeked down.

Astrid was pulling herself up the ropes that led down into the belly of the cave. And Hiccup was on her back, his false leg under his arm. They were both smiling and laughing.

Pouncing up and down on the ground in his excitement, Toothless, jumped back onto the bed of coals, and waited for them to arrive. His tail was whipping back and forth as he pressed himself flat against the ground, trying to be stealthy.

When Astrid finally pulled them up to the shelf and put Hiccup down, Toothless could smell that they were both reeking of each other. And Hiccup didn't notice him. Hiccup kept moving closer to Astrid and touching her as if he couldn't stop himself.

Throwing his false leg down, Hiccup used both hands to pulled Astrid down to her knees so he could hold her and look up into her eyes. He did that strange mouth-to-mouth thing that humans did with their mates, until they clutched at each other - growling with pleasure.

At last. The dance had ended.

"Well, it took a while," Astrid said to Toothless as she grabbed Hiccup around the waist and pulled them both to their feet, "But I finally got him back."

Toothless pounced.

His best friend pinned beneath him, Toothless began licking his face and nuzzling up against him. And the boy laughed. And hugged him back. He was free of the sadness that had gripped him and kept him from them for so long.

"Agh! Toothless! Hey buddy. Mind letting me up?"

Toothless snorted. He'd been waiting for this moment for some time now, the boy wasn't going to cut it short. Wrapping the boy up in a cocoon of limbs and wings, Toothless cooed happily, sticking his nose in to see how the human fared. Hiccup strugged a bit, but hugged him back just the same. In fact, one hand reached out to rub his nose, like it had when they first became friends.

"You know I am going to want him back eventually." Astrid said, playfully scratching Toothless in just the right place behind his ears.

Ahh... this was bliss. Toothless happily rubbed his back against the slimy floor of the lip. His two favorite humans playing with him. Playing with each other. If this lasted, it would be worth a hundred cold nights on Berk.

"In fact, I need him back pretty soon. We need to talk to our parents about something. And it's a pretty big something, so..."

Toothless was neither amused, nor in the mood to negotiate. He hoped the expression he shot the girl said as much.

"Well, how about this? Get us back to Berk as soon as possible, and tomorrow I'll run interference to make sure you guys can have a whole day together."

It must have been serious. He rarely had a full day with either of them anymore. To have from sun-up to sun-down with the boy was a rare treat he'd not had since after they'd returned from victory in battle.

With an understanding harrumph, Toothless rolled onto his side and opened up his wings.

The sight within made the pupils of his eyes go to war-shield-size with happiness.

The boy was lying on his stomach, happily hugging him back - scrawny arms tucked between arm and wing. His face was just as open and innocent as the first time the boy had touched his muzzle.

Toothless nuzzled his friend, licking him on the side of his face.

"Thanks buddy. And I'm sorry. I mean, about how I've been acting. It's not going to happen again."

"You can say that again. Toothless, if he even tries acting mopey again, you come and get me. We'll take turns blasting him." Astrid said. She was down on the ground, rummaging through the little leather pouch Hiccup had attached behind the saddle. "And where are your blasted extra ties?"

"They're in there."

"They'd better be. You promised I could put your leg on."

"Not like you didn't make some promises yourself." Hiccup turned back to Toothless. "Guess what? Astrid's promised that as soon as we can, we're getting a bed big enough for all three of us to fit in."

"WHEN he wants to crash with us, don't tell him he has to."

"He wants to, trust me." Hiccup said, "You like curling up in warmer spots when the weather gets cold, don't ya buddy? Well, you've got two human-sized heaters, as soon as we get things finalized."

"We'd better start designing a big bed when we get back - ah HA! Got one!" Astrid pulled one of the thin leather chords Hiccup used to attach his false leg, "Otherwise it might be awkward."

Toothless snorted. Apparently Astrid had a great deal to learn about bunking with a night fury. Spreading open his wings, he flicked his tail so she lost her footing and fell on top of where Hiccup was still lying. Then he quickly wrapped both of them up. Astrid flailed for a second, uncertain of what had just happened, but as soon as she wedged herself up against his boy she saw that she was safe.

"Comfy?" came Hiccup's muffled voice.

"Actually, yes."

Purring, Toothless stuck his nose in the gap to sniff at them.

Astrid coughed, "Blech. Dragon breath."

"It's easy to get used to." Hiccup told her, scratching his nose once again, "And it's the best wake-up call out there."

"How exactly do we get out of here?"

"Toothless will let you out when he wakes up himself."

"What if you have to wake up before Toothless?"

Toothless put his eye down to the opening to see what they were doing.

"Then you've got a fight on your hands." Hiccup said, dryly. He was hugging Toothless with one arm and hugged Astrid with the other. "But you've had more training than I have. You might be able to get out in time."

Astrid hugged Hiccup with one arm, then hugged Toothless with the other.

Toothless nuzzled the lump his friends made, secure where they lay under his wings, and wrapped his head and tail over them.

They didn't say anything much after that. At least not until Astrid realized they'd all been nodding off and would be late getting wherever they needed to go so desperately. She found the one spot on Toothless' neck that dropped him like a happy stone, and pulled Hiccup out with her.

"I'm just saying," Hiccup said, clearly not happy about leaving a place where he was warm, dry, and sleepy. "They wouldn't miss us that much if we were a little late."

"The sooner we get back to the village, the sooner we talk to our parents." Astrid said, pulling a rag from Hiccup's pack. She walked to the edge of the lip and carefully extended her hand and the rag out to catch the falling rain water. "The sooner we talk to our parents, the sooner they finalize the contract. And the sooner they finalize the contract and the sooner we can get married, and spend weeks napping if we so choose."

"Right, right."

Toothless rolled over onto his legs. When the Vikings mated, they needed the match to be approved by their sires? Leave it to the Vikings to make something like finding a mate unnaturally complicated.

He helped Hiccup by giving him his right flank to rest on, as Astrid picked up his false leg. Astrid slung the false leg slung over her shoulder like a spear, and for a moment she stood over Hiccup, gazing at him intensely.

Then she got down on one knee, and rolled up the cuff of his leg-covering.

The sad lump of flesh that was what was left of the boy's leg shivered in the crisp early-morning air. The boy always flinched when he had to show it, but when Astrid exposed the skin, he hadn't moved.

Astrid took the wet rag and gently rubbed it over the exposed lump. Toothless looked back and forth from this strange scene, to the boy who looked like he was... enjoying it?

Then, with the skin relatively clean, Astrid pulled out the little cap of fabric Hiccup usually covered the lump with. Kissing the boy's knee, she slipped the cover on. Then, quickly and efficiently, locked the rest of the moving parts and buckles of the leg in place.

After gently pulling the outer leg covering back into place, Astrid stood up, watching Hiccup with an expression that was sweet and kind. Hiccup raised his arms, and took both her hands in his.

It was then that Toothless decided to move things along. There had been too many delays, anyway.

With a bump from his spine, Hiccup flew up onto his feet and into Astrid's arms.

And suddenly the two were kissing like they had no where else to go.

And they started kissing again as Hiccup locked himself back into the saddle for flight. And as Astrid settled behind him and held onto his waist. And as they flew up, past the rainclouds and into the ever-brightening sky.

And above the expanse of clouds, Hiccup threw his arms up in the air, and cheered with happiness for the first time in a cycle.

The few miles to home passed quickly.

NEXT SATURDAY: How Stoick found out his son was getting married.