Happy Friday!

I promised you another chapter today if you checked out Darker than Night, so I hope you read yesterday's update. I have no way of knowing if you did so, but just keep in mind that I do an awful lot of writing for you people, and it won't hurt you to do me a favor and check out another good fic. XD I've been doing an exceptional amount of work on this story as of late, so I hope you enjoy the emotional drama that is to come. I told you all a while back that I would be spending a lot of time on both the human and dragon perspectives, so be prepared for a lot of dragon stuff coming up.

Guess what! I have reviewers! Awesome ones!

Colinou

The Lightning Phoenix

Spartan10007

InfernoChicken (meerkat noise right back atcha. You're close, but what actually happens is soooo much more dramatic.)

Little Did You Know (Ten chapters. Y'all get to wait TEN WHOLE CHAPTERS)

Harkonnen28 (where's the fun in coming to terms with feelings quickly? Oh no, this is a drawn-out process for sure.)

canadasam101 (Okay, okay. You all want Toothless and Lightning? I'll make it happen. Just not this chapter XD )

Vvarden

brickmaster2

Kelroe26

"Hey, Lightning," Hiccup approached the lone Night Fury where she lay with her head on her forelegs. She looked up at him, rather forlornly.

"I'm assuming Toothless didn't come back last night," he said, more for his own benefit than hers, and she shook her head sadly. "I need your help. Aeri and Shade are somewhere on the island and I have no way of finding them without flying."

She looked hesitant, so he pushed on. "I doubt Toothless would help me even if he were here, but you're Shade's mother. Something tells me you're not nearly as angry as Toothless, and I think this is a good opportunity for us to speak to our respective long-lost eldest children."

After a few thoughtful moments, Lightning nodded slowly, and Hiccup could barely contain his relief. "Thank you."

Shade gazed out to sea, willing the ships from Heimme to materialize on the horizon, although they were facing west, not south. Minutes passed and nothing appeared, so he sighed and turned back to his rider, who lay on her back, staring up at the clouds. They were at the top of the cliffs they had used to haunt seemingly ages ago. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun warmed his scales despite the lingering chill in his heart.

He hadn't expected to see Ash so soon. And judging by how she had been acting, she hadn't been planning on it either. A very small, dark part of him hoped it had been painfully awkward for her, but mostly he found he didn't care one way or another. He was too tired to feel vindictive. Plus, it was her fault for spying on him. Why had they been watching him? Her friend- Kiva?- had seemed very nice, but now that he was thinking about it, she had been a little too nice. Shade frowned. Hopefully that wouldn't be a problem later...

Aeri watched the wind chase the puffy white cloud formations across the sky. The grass was soft under her back, and the distant crashing of the waves lulled her into a detached calm. Her heart felt cold, somehow, perhaps afraid. Eventually she would have to face her people, but for now it was nice to pretend that it was just her and Shade again, no responsibilities, just taking one day at a time.

The sound of beating wings filtered through her musings and sitting up, she saw a familiar Night Fury being ridden by a familiar human. Sighing, Aeri looked to the ground, picking at the grass next to her crossed legs. Here goes nothing, she thought dully to herself.

Lightning landed softly in the grass, hungrily taking in the sight of her son, who was pointedly not looking at her. Now fully grown, Shade was clearly larger than his father, and therefore bigger than any Night Fury Lightning had ever seen. And though she had only seen him briefly, she somehow knew that he was in control of himself. How rigid that control actually was remained to be seen.

She felt Hiccup slide from her shoulders, and sensed his uncertainty as he, too, reflected on the most obvious changes in his child. Together, they stepped closer, with hesitation, as though afraid their children would turn and flee. But they didn't. They just sat in quiet reflection, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Hiccup desperately wanted to see his daughter smile, something that seemed like a lot to ask at the moment. Have patience. So he silently approached her, pausing a moment before sitting down next to her. For a while, neither of them said anything, just experiencing the simple joy and grief of the moment.

Finally he spoke up. "We started construction on three longhouses first thing this morning. They should be large enough to temporarily hold most of the refugees, and for everyone else, plenty of our people have volunteered to share their own homes. We also sent out all our fisherman to, well, fish. The farmers have had a good crop, it's been unseasonably warm. So there's plenty of food." He broke off awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

"Thank you," Aeri said quietly. "I'm... I'm so sorry you have to go to so much trouble, because of me..."

"Nonsense." Her father's firm tone surprised her, and she looked up to meet his gaze.

"I would move the entire archipelago, tie a rope around it and swim by myself in the icy water with it dragging behind me, if it was something that mattered to you. What you ask of me, of Berk? It's no trouble, and we do it gladly." Anything to have you safely returned to us.

Hiccup searched his daughter's face. She looked older, her bone structure more pronounced, and in his eyes she was more beautiful than ever. Slowly he shifted to his knees, taking his cues from her shining eyes, and slowly pulled her into his arms.

"Oh, gods Aeri. I missed you," he whispered hoarsely, and she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I missed you too, Daddy," she replied softly. The moment was overwhelming, all her fears withering away at the love and acceptance her father was giving her. And he doesn't even know anything I've done. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and though she blinked fiercely, she couldn't stop the cascade. The last three years loomed in her mind, and every moment of pain, fear, confusion, and doubt was released at once.

Hiccup felt Aeri trembling, and held her tightly as her body shook with quiet sobs. "It's alright now," he murmured, stroking her hair. "You're safe now, everything will be okay. I promise."

Shade watched Aeri cry in her father's arms, and felt relieved that she could finally be herself without fear of being judged. She had been holding everything in, and he feared that her capture by the pirates had been a tipping point for her. Everything she had bottled up for the last three years was pouring out now, in the security of Hiccup's embrace, and Shade couldn't have asked for more from the human Chief, who was simply letting her sort through her overwhelming feelings. He could sense the man's concern, and was impressed by his restraint. Hiccup wasn't demanding answers or passing judgment, as his own father had done.

And that was a completely different pile of eels. But first… With a quiet sigh, he turned and met his mother's gaze. She was sitting on her haunches where she had first landed, and he could see the question in her eyes. So he nodded, and she didn't bother concealing her relief as she got to her feet and approached him.

"I… I don't need to tell you that I missed you, or that I've thought of you every day since you disappeared," she began, settling down next to him, her gaze directed out to sea. "I don't need to tell you that I feared for your life and safety constantly, or that nothing was the same after you left. But I think it's worth mentioning how overwhelmingly, unabashedly happy I am that you're back now, and that I'm not angry in the slightest, and that I hope you understand that my love for you completely dwarfs all other considerations. You will always be my hatchling, Shade, no matter what you decide to do with yourself." Lightning turned to look at him directly.

Shade didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting from her, but he found he was relieved by his mother's frankness. For a moment he met Hiccup's eyes, and was comforted by the warm smile the man offered him. "Thanks, Mom," he said finally.

"I also look forward to hearing whatever you feel like sharing with me, if you choose to tell me anything at all."

"I feel like I'm going to have to talk about it at some point, and better you hear certain things from me than from the dragons of Heimme, I suppose," he mused.

His mother offered him a small smile. "You're probably right. When you're ready, I'm here to listen."

"You sure the Alpha will be okay with that?" Shade raised an eyebrow.

"He might be the Alpha, but your father has learned by now that he can't control me, and though he might want to on occasion, he'd never try ordering me around. So let me worry about him, hmm?"

Shade was surprised at her boldness. Growing up, his mom had always seemed there to placate his father when he was in a bad mood. He'd never have expected her to cheerfully subvert the Alpha's authority. "Why?" The question escaped him before he could consider its wisdom.

"Need I remind you that you are just as much my son as his? I have a right to be angry, but I'm not, because I don't think that anger has much of a place in this situation. He can bluster all he wants, after all, he's pretty used to getting his way. I'm not going to rub it in his face that I don't agree with him, because I love and respect him, but I'm also not going to avoid you just because he is."

"Well, I can't complain about that," Shade finally returned her smile, and for a moment mother and son just took each other in, simply content to be together.

Aeri took a deep, shuddering breath, and raised her head to look at her father's face. She took in the faint lines at the corners of his vivid green eyes, the same eyes she saw in her own reflection, tiny wrinkles from years of laughter and smiles. But there were other lines, too, that hadn't been there when she had left. Lines that suggested more often than not there was a tense expression on his face, that too often he faced sleepless nights with nothing but his worried thoughts to keep him company. Aeri had learned a lot about people over the last three years, enough to tell her that her father was troubled. And it didn't require too many guesses to figure out why.

Hiccup, for his part, was taking in his daughter's tear-stained visage. She was clearly thinking, as her gaze traveled over his face, taking in, he supposed, the fact that he had aged tremendously after her disappearance. That, and Astrid's last pregnancy. Both circumstances had warranted much concern on his part. Well, 'tremendously' is a strong word. But no one could deny that he looked older.

He cupped her face, using his thumb to gently wipe away a stray tear as he looked into her eyes searchingly. "What happened out there, Aeri?" he asked softly. Her eyes immediately seemed to fill with conflict, and she began to pull back. "No, no," he said quickly, holding her in place. "Don't shut me out. Please, Aeri. I want to know everything, I… I have to know. And I want to hear it from you, not the gossipers in the village. Please."

She looked out to the horizon at the setting sun, not speaking for a moment. Finally, she said, "It's getting late, Dad."

Hiccup knew she was right, but it didn't ease the sudden hurt he felt from her refusal. He couldn't blame her, though, he supposed. His daughter had left because she felt pressured, and here he was pressuring her again. "I'm sorry," he said, and she turned her head to look at him.

"Don't be sorry, Dad. I'll tell you about it soon, I promise, I just need some more time to think."

"Okay." He didn't know what else to say, so he let go of her.

Aeri slowly got to her feet, then held out a hand, which her father took, allowing her to pull him to his feet. Well, foot. Together they wandered over to Shade and Lightning, who had been watching them in companionable silence for some time.

Hiccup figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, so he did. "Aeri, would you… I mean, I would really appreciate it if you joined us for dinner tonight." She hesitated, clearly weighing her options, so he pushed on. "Your grandmother will be there, as well, if that turns things in my favor," he offered her a hopeful smile.

Finally she looked up and gave him a small smile in return. "It does. Alright, I'll be there, just let me get Shade situated first."

His expression broadened into a grin, and he quickly hopped onto Lightning's shoulders. "Race you back to the village!" Lightning spread her wings and leapt skyward, roaring loudly.

Aeri looked at Shade, who had one eyebrow raised in question. "It's been too long since we've had decent competition," she reasoned to him. So she leapt into the saddle, and grinning, Shade took off in pursuit.

Cinder and Holly flew much more closely together than they should have, loving how in tune they were with each other. He looked into her forest-green eyes and resisted the urge to sigh at the sight of her silhouetted by the setting sun.

They spiraled through pink clouds, sometimes chasing each other, sometimes flying almost chest to chest. Cinder was grateful that he had the afternoon off to spend with her, and found himself wishing he could spend the rest of his life up here with her in the sky.

But that's not why he had sought her out today. Well, partially. They couldn't be in the sky all the time, but he was determined to make sure that however they spent it, the rest of their time in this world would be with each other.

He gestured with his head back to the island, and Holly felt a little disappointed, but followed him to land on the large natural arch protruding from the mountain, and her disappointment faded. She valued every second she could spend with Cinder, no matter what they were doing, and was pretty thrilled that they had gotten to spend half the day together. Not to mention the night…

For a while they watched the sunset, her head on his shoulder, until he shifted, coming around to face her, and she wondered at the nervous expression on his face. A sneaking suspicion overtook her. Why else would they be up here? A smile grew on her face, excitement building.

"Holly," he started, momentarily losing focus as he gazed at her smiling face. She was so beautiful.

"Yes, Cinder?"

Cinder forced himself to speak the words as quickly as he could, mostly to avoid completely choking and falling on his face.

"Holly, would you do me the honor of being my-"

"Of course I'll be your mate, dummy!" she shouted. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you to ask?"

He swallowed his excitement, before finishing his question. "But… would you also be willing to stay on Berk with me, and live here from now on?"

She looked thoughtful, and Cinder quickly added, "You could go back to the colony as often as you want, I just don't think I could handle having you so far away from me all the time—"

The smile returned to her face, and she shushed him. "I've been ready to get off that island for a while now. It's time for a new adventure." With that, she moved closer to him, nuzzling his neck and pressing her body against his. Cinder, for his part, was holding himself together surprisingly well for how ecstatic he was, but he had a feeling things were only going to get better from here on out.

AWWWW! I love Cinder. Don't you? I thought it was about time he got his happy ending. :) Remember, reviews make me sooooo happy. And since I've been doing so much writing, you know, I figured it wouldn't hurt to update a little more often. You know, like tomorrow? And maybe the next day after that? But. BUT I would really love to get more than ten reviews per chapter. And since we had a record number of views on the last update, I think we can manage it. Sorry I'm asking so much of you, but I adore feedback. So tell me what you like! What you don't like! What you want more of! I actually listen when you share your opinions, shockingly enough. I can't make you do anything, but I have a feeling you're going to like this story a lot more coming up. Say, in about four chapters. So... it's up to you. I'm not mean, but I can pretend to be pretty evil :D and withhold updates until Fridays.

(Now I feel guilty. But I stand by my statement! If you review more, I'll update more. Promise. And I will include Toothless and Lightning in those updates.)