Author's Note:

Hello all and a quick warning, this chapter is slightly sad. It's more Stoick/Snotlout family love and is set well before the first movie and is all from Stoick's point of view. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

I own nothing.

Needed

Silence reigned on the beach except for the constant sound of the waves upon the shore and the quiet crackling of flames from the burning ship drifting out to sea. Stoick stood at the very edge of the water watching the vessel as it took Spitelout and Helga upon their last journey.

Looking slightly to the side he gazed down at Snotlout who was stood beside him staring stubbornly at the sand. He suppressed a sad sigh, he knew exactly why the five year old wasn't looking at the ship. He was hanging on to the hope that doing so would make the whole thing a dream, that his parents were actually fine and would stay that way as long as he didn't see the ship bearing their bodies. Of course life didn't work that way and the hope was in vain but still the boy clung to it, expressing all the stubbornness that seemed to come with the Jorgenson blood. He felt a small hand slip into his on his other side and he knew that it was Hiccup's, his son had also been greatly upset by the loss of his aunt and uncle and he gave the hand a gentle squeeze. It seemed Hiccup had decided to suppress his own tears in order to act as a support for his younger cousin and Stoick was proud of his inner strength, Hiccup was always looking out for everyone else and Stoick loved that trait which had clearly been inherited from Valka.

The ship was now starting to sink as the fire burnt through its hull and those that had gathered in respect began to silently drift away. Pulling his eyes away from the ship Stoick looked down at Snotlout only to find he wasn't there, his eyes roamed the area thinking that the boy had wandered off further down the beach to be alone but there was no sign of him. Worriedly he scanned the Vikings who were leaving to see if the boy was among them but his nephew was not there either. A small hand tugged the lower half of his tunic and he looked down into Hiccup's worried eyes, "Dad, where's Snotlout?"

Stoick didn't answer but he caught Gobber's eye and the blacksmith hobbled over from where he'd been hovering nearby, he took a hold of Hiccup's hand and gently began leading him away speaking reassuringly as he did so, "Don't ye worry laddie, yer dad will find Snotlout no problem. Let's get ye home so ye can meet them both there."

Hiccup slowly went with him but he soon stopped and looked back, "Dad, Snotlout's really sad. He shouldn't feel lonely right now."

With those few words Hiccup went with Gobber back towards the house and Stoick set about finding his grieving nephew.

He'd searched long and hard all night but Stoick had still not found Snotlout anywhere.

He'd gone back to the house several times to see if the boy had appeared there but was disappointed each time. He'd searched the beach, the forest, the village, the Great Hall, the docks and he'd even gone to Spitelout and Helga's home thinking maybe the child had gone there to feel closer to his parents. Everywhere revealed no Snotlout and the boy's home was cold and empty with belongings sitting waiting for owners who weren't returning. The more he searched and found nothing the more worried Stoick became until just after dawn, when he was heading home intending to rouse the village and form search parties, Snotlout finally reappeared walking towards the house.

The chief rushed over relief flooding through him upon seeing that the boy was unharmed, "Snotlout, where have you been? I've been looking for you all night."

Snotlout looked down guiltily but didn't answer. Normally Stoick would've given the child an earful for disappearing for so long without saying where he was going but this time he held back on doing so. The boy was very upset and no doubt filled with a turmoil of emotions. He was also obviously really tired and likely hadn't slept all night, lecturing him now was one of the worst things Stoick could do so the man simply placed a hand on Snotlout's shoulder and gently steered the boy inside the house, "C'mon lad, you need to sleep."

There was no protest and Stoick brought the boy upstairs to Hiccup's room where a small spare bed was waiting. Hiccup himself was still sleeping peacefully and the man tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake his son. Snotlout wordlessly shed his boots, helmet and outer layers and got into bed and practically dropped to sleep instantly. Stoick hesitated for a few moments then softly pulled the bedcovers up and tucked it around his nephew before stealing off downstairs.

Snotlout said very little over the next few days and largely remained inside away from everyone else. Stoick had tried to do what he could for the boy but he wasn't sure how much he should do.

The father in him wanted nothing more than to hug the boy tightly and grant as much comfort as he needed to let him know that he wasn't alone but he didn't know if he should. Snotlout was Spitelout and Helga's son regardless of whether they were alive or not and giving the boy that much parental affection so soon after their deaths felt almost like he was trying to change that. He didn't even know if Snotlout would accept such comfort from him or whether he'd interpret such actions as Stoick attempting to replace his parents.

So Stoick kept a little distance between them, he made sure that the boy was eating, spoke to him every time he could and would often detour to the house while attending to his duties as chief to check that the boy was okay but it didn't go further than that. He had noticed that Snotlout was sleeping through much of the day and he was certain the boy was slipping out at night and going somewhere, most likely the place he went to on the night of the funeral. There'd been the odd muddy footprint on the floor one morning which certainly hadn't been there the night before and once he'd woken just in time to hear Hiccup's door close behind someone.

Eventually he discovered that his suspicions were correct.

Stoick was just about to fall asleep in his great chair downstairs when the sound of Hiccup's door and soft footsteps caught his attention, he came back to full wakefulness just in time to see Snotlout slip out the front door and the chief got up and stole after his nephew.

It was a clear night with a bright full moon cloaking the world in a soft layer of silver. Stoick easily spotted Snotlout's small form disappearing off towards some sea cliffs and he quietly followed his nephew wondering why he hadn't thought to check the cliffs a few nights ago when he'd been looking for the boy.

Shortly Snotlout came to a halt at the top of the cliffs and sat down to stare out over the ocean, he was out of sight of the village so unless you looked here purposefully someone could easily have some time alone. It was a nice spot that offered a fantastic view of the sunrise and interestingly enough was the exact spot that Spitelout had proposed to Helga.

Snotlout sat in silence his gaze never leaving the ocean and Stoick couldn't help but think how wrong the situation was. A five year should never be sat so still nor have such a lost look upon their face, they were supposed to run around, play, talk and get into trouble, not sit on top of cliffs all night gazing out over the sea with an unchanging, lonely, expression.

Slowly Stoick moved forward and sat beside his nephew, the boy didn't seem to notice his arrival but he had a feeling Snotlout knew he was there. The chief was unsure as to what he was to do next, should he say something? Show sympathy? Somehow neither of those felt right. He looked towards the boy and found Snotlout looking at him with the same lost expression he'd worn for so long and he realised something important.

Snotlout's eyes were dry.

He hadn't seen him shed any tears at all nor any signs that he had been, there were no tear stains, no red eyes and no sniffling, not even when he came back to the house after the funeral did he show any indication he'd been weeping. Of course he'd cried his eyes out when he first discovered what had happened but ever since the funeral the boy hadn't shed a single tear. He'd just remained looking lost because that is what he was, Snotlout himself didn't know what to do but Stoick now knew exactly what he wanted.

The very thing he hadn't been giving him because he wasn't sure if it was appropriate.

Silently Stoick opened his arms towards his nephew, Snotlout stared at him a bit longer before giving a small sniff and slowly start moving towards his uncle. He wrapped his small arms around the man's body and buried his face into Stoicks chest, within a few moments the chief heard the sound of sobbing coming from the boy. Gently he closed his arms around his nephew and tenderly ran a hand through the boy's hair as he let him cry all the tears he needed to.

PS-Some tearful fluffiness for you all. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.