A/N: After the long hiatus between the last two chapters I figured you guys deserved two in fairly quick succession. This one moves the story along. i feel like the story is winding down to its natural ending. I hope you all enjoy. Love reading your reviews and if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to shoot me a message. Thanks for all the support.

LG

Chapter 37

The trial had been quick. Many people testified against Drago and they slapped the irons on his wrists and off he went to jail all the while screaming that vengeance would be his.

Life was beginning to return to normal for Hiccup. He barely needed his cane to walk. He still kept it just in case though. He would much rather be seen with his cane than be seen falling flat on his face. He and Astrid were still on an awkward friend stage that he didn't seem to know how to get past. How does one ask out their ex without coming off as strange?

Winter was threatening just around the corner on this day and Hiccup hauls his coat closed to try to keep his body warm against the cold winds. The day had begun as a sunny Saturday and so he had gone to the park hoping to run in to Astrid. Unfortunately he had no luck as the only person at the park was a man jogging through wearing a massive set of headphones. Hiccup chuckled at the thought of the headphones. If they had been any bigger they could be mistaken for a UFO.

The weather had changed rapidly turning the nice day cold as the wind picked up and the sky clouded over and so Hiccup had decided to head home.

He was rushing a little more than he should have been because as he turned to go up the driveway he slipped. He didn't have time to put his cane out and he crashed on to the rough pavement. He rolls over on to his back sucking in breathes of air. He inspects his hands to see how bad of shape they are in from the ground. A layer of skin is gone but otherwise good.

He glances over towards the driveway and there by the garage is Toothless covered over by the tarp. The wind licks at the bottom of the tarp showing off the smashed front end of Toothless.

Hiccup slowly and painfully gets back up to his feet, all the while never taking his eyes from the tarped over car. His car. Toothless was his first car. His only car. He fixed him up from practically a scrap heap and now he just allowed him to sit there under a tarp as a smashed heap. He betrayed Toothless but could he ever forgive Toothless for betraying him first. His father was dead because of Toothless.

Leaving his cane, Hiccup walks towards the car, slow and steady as to not fall on his face again. Placing his hands on the Toothless' hood Hiccup feels the buckles metal beneath the tarp.

He runs his hands along the tarp until they rest at the knot of the rope holding the tarp down.

He pauses for a quick moment "I'm sorry bud."

Deciding, he hauls the knot out. The wind catches the tarp sending it flying in to the nearby shrubs and Toothless comes in to view, all busted and bent. The sight tugs the breath out of his lungs and he steps back, never taking his eyes off the car.

He sits down on the cold pavement and crosses his legs, staring at his car. How could he just leave it here in this state? He could have fixed it or sold it or anything at all. But he just kept it parked here under a tarp as a reminder that his father was killed in the accident that caused the car to become a wreck.

It had been a few days since she had heard from Hiccup and Astrid was trying to give him his space. They weren't even dating so it would be weird if she went over there every single day wouldn't it? Although it was killing her as she visited him every day while he was hospitalized. She needed to get out of the house or she was going to smash something.

Dressed in a light running gear she was heading out to the park.

"I'll be back later mom!" she calls out as the door slams behind her.

Feet pounding on the pavement, Astrid controls her breathing as she pushes herself towards the park. She was heading for a spot past the park that she knew about. A small path that had logs and rocks strewn around it. It would be a perfect spot to work out her frustration.

It didn't take her long to get through the park. She was hopping and ducking over logs and dodging the rocks that covered the uneven ground. She keeps pushing herself harder and harder. Even as the path starts to fade to nothing she keeps going through the forest, making her own path.

The ground started to elevate but she kept going until she crashed out of the tree line, tripping over a root.

Cursing and tumbling Astrid falls in to a grassy clearing in the forest. A decent sized pond sits at the middle and the water is as clear as could be. Even a slight bright blue tint to it. Astrid had never run this far before. She couldn't get enough of the views as she spun in circles trying to take it all in. She had to show this to Hiccup, she thought excitedly but the happiness in the thought quickly vanished as she remembered that her and Hiccup weren't a thing any more.

Hopping up on a rock, Astrid dips her hand in the cold water enjoying the cool feeling against her sweaty palm.

She lowers her other hand and scoops up some water, splashing it on her face to cool herself down.

Heather knocks on the Hofferson's household door. There's a moment before footsteps can be heard coming towards the door. It swings inwards and Helen Hofferson is there with a smile on her face. "Hello. Can I help you?"

"Hi Mrs. Hofferson. Is Astrid here?" Heather inquires.

"You actually just missed her. She just went out for a run. You can wait around for her to get back if you'd like." Helen offers her.

"I'll just come back another day. Thanks anyways." Heather heads off back off.

Having enough of her new found paradise and getting a little chilly, Astrid heads back towards civilization. She jogs at a much slower pace than she took on the way there as all the anger and stress has been beaten out of her.

A squirrel crosses her path a few feet ahead of her startling her for a moment. She stops and listens. Birds chirping and the squirrel perched up on a branch squeaking loudly at her. "Sorry. You scared me as much as I scared you." She apologizes to the little critter before continuing her jog.

She decides to pass by Hiccup's place to see if he's around. Maybe he'd like to catch a movie or get some food or something.

Upon getting to his driveway she finds his discarded cane at the foot of the driveway. Concern fills her as she picks it up but is instantly comforted when she spots him sitting in front of an uncovered Toothless, the tarp strewn in to a nearby bush. She stops dead in her racks. "Hiccup?"

He doesn't seem to hear her as he's stuck in his own little world. She walks towards him. "Hiccup?"

He snaps back to reality and turns his head to look at her. His face almost looks confused.

"Are you alright?" Astrid asks.

Hiccup schools his feelings back in order. "Never better." He goes to stand up but his legs have begun to cramp and he left his cane at the end of the driveway. "You couldn't give me a hand could you?"

She reaches out and he grasps her hand. "Your hands are cold as ice! How long have you been out here?" She asks as she hauls him up, holding him for a moment so that he may get his footing.

They stand toe to toe, faces only inches apart. "Thank you." Hiccup says.

His warm breath brushes Astrid's lips causing her to instinctively look at his mouth. Her mind groans as it thinks about kissing him. Do it. Just kiss him. She keeps telling herself. And yet she can't seem to bring herself to do it. Why is she so nervous? It's not like she hadn't kissed him before. Wait a minute? Were his lips turning blue?

Hiccup just keeps staring at her. The sheer beauty of her. How could he have let something like this go? There's a long pause where they just stand there together in silence.

"Thanks for grabbing my cane." Hiccup breaks the silence.

"You're welcome. Now let's get you in out of the cold." Astrid tells him. "Did you want me to put the tarp back over Toothless?"

"No. Leave him like that. It's time I returned him to his former glory." Hiccup says quietly, his words laced with shame. "I've left him in a sad state for far too long."

Hiccup crashes on his couch. Now that he's indoors he can really feel the cold. His hands were numb and he could hardly feel his lips.

Astrid tosses him a fleecy blanket. "How long were you out there?"

Hiccup shrugs. "I lost track of time."

"You could have frozen to death." Astrid scolds him.

"I would have deserved it. After how I treated Toothless." Hiccup sighs as he pulls the blanket around himself trying to get warm.

Astrid goes to his kitchen and heats up some water.

She re-enters the living room shortly carrying a mug of steaming hot chocolate. "Here. Drink this. It'll help you warm up."

"Thanks Astrid." He takes the mug from her and sips at it, feeling it burn his tongue.

"I'll see ya later. Don't want mom worrying about me." Astrid shouts as she heads out the door.

"Bye-" Slam. The door is shut. "-Astrid…" Hiccup finishes quietly.

"Seriously? He was just sitting there?" Ruffnut asks Astrid as the two girls are working on University homework in the campus library.

"Yeah." Astrid nods.

"Just sitting there in his driveway. On the ground." Ruffnut can't seem to believe what she's being told.

"Shh." Kimberly says from another study table.

"Oh blow it out your hole you skank." Ruffnut growls.

The other girl's eyes grow wide in surprise but she puts her head back down in to her books.

Ruffnut returns to the conversation. "Why? How long was he there for?"

Astrid shrugs. "No idea. From what I seen he was just staring at Toothless."

"Maybe he's off his rocker. Permanent brain damage from the coma?" Ruffnut offers a suggestion that lands her a punch from Astrid. "I was only kidding. You can be so touchy. If you're so worried about him, just have Fish go over and talk to him. It won't be so awkward then."

"That's a great idea Ruff." Astrid nearly shouts causing her to be on the receiving end of a few shh's.

"I have a lot of great ideas and yet you always seem surprised." Ruff gloats.

"You want me to go ask Hiccup why he's acting so weird?" Fishlegs says as he tosses his backpack in to the backseat of Meatlug, his babied SUV.

"Yeah. It would be too awkward for me to do it." Astrid explains.

"I haven't exactly been hanging out with Hiccup since Stoick-" His voice escapes him. "He's been so busy with work. No one ever sees him."

Astrid sighs in irritation and explains through gritted teeth. "You weren't fucking him and had your relationship gone bad. That's what I meant by awkward."

"Right." Fishlegs offers an awkward smile. "So I'll just be on my way to talk to Hiccup." He jumps in to the driver seat and off he goes.

Fishlegs enters the Haddock garage to find Hiccup cursing as he scours the floor like a cat on the hunt. The sound of the door closing causes him to look up. "Oh, hey Fish. Long-time no see."

"It has been hasn't it? You're mom told me you were in here." He says as he chomps down on a muffin that Valka had made. Her cooking definitely hasn't improved at all and he can barely swallow his mouthful of the gross baked good.

"You don't need to eat that. I've been hiding mine in a bucket over in the corner." Hiccup points to a back corner and Fishlegs takes the opportunity to chuck the rest and rinse his mouth out with water.

"So what are you working at?" Fish asks in genuine interest as he stares at all the metal pieces that litter the floor.

"Right now, I'm looking for a bolt. About yeah big." Hiccup makes a measurement using his thumb and pointer finger.

"This one?" Fish picks one up from a small pile of dirt that was swept to one side.

"That's the one!" He takes it from Fish thanking him and gets back to work.

"What's with the rest of this stuff?"

"Well." Hiccup tightens up the nut and bolt putting two pieces together. "This is a movable car jack that I'm putting together. Next week, a frame straightener is being delivered and then I am hauling Toothless in here and I'm going to fix him."

That news swells excitement inside Fish. "You're going to fix him! You'll get to come hang out with the crowd again!"

Hiccup chuckles at his friend's excitement. "It won't be for a while. Winter is coming and he won't be ready before the snow hits. But in the spring he will be ready."

"Do you need any help putting the hoist together?" Fishlegs offers.

Hiccup raises an eyebrow. "You don't have homework?"

Fish shrugs. "Not a lot of it. It's all easy stuff."

"Let's get to it shall we."

The two friends spend the evening building Hiccup's new car hoist. Upon finishing it, they don't stop there as Hiccup hits the button for the garage door. The two of them stand waiting for it to reach the top. "Think Meatlug would mind helping me haul him out of the grass? He's probably a bit sunk it."

"Are you kidding? She's never mind helping out a friend like Toothless." Fish answers back as he pulls his keys from his jeans pocket.

Hiccup secures a chain around The front frame of Toothless as Fishlegs turns Meatlug around.

"Back it up…" Hiccup signals Fishlegs as he backs Meatlug within chain distance of Toothless. "That's good!"

Hiccup hooks the chain up to Meatlug and steps out of the way as Fish pulls the car forward out of the ruts that were made from sitting so long.

Once out in the driveway, they used another winch attached at the back of the garage to haul him indoors. With the two friends back inside, Hiccup hits the button and the door shuts back down.

"Wait till the guys hear about this." Fishlegs says excitedly.

"I'd rather if you didn't tell them."

Eyebrows raise in surprise. "How come? They will be so excited to hear that you will be returning to the old gang."

"I just need time Fish. Fixing this car will be my time to recover. My time to bond with Toothless again. I just don't want people breathing down my neck asking me when it'll be done." Hiccup explains.

Fish shrugs. "Your secret is safe with me."

"What do you mean you can't tell me?" Astrid asks with a growl as she has the pudgy blonde cornered.

"I made a promise to Hiccup." Fish squeaks.

"Just tell her already." Ruffnut drawls out. Her interest in the situation had diminished quickly.

"I can't."

"Can't or won't."

Fish tries to reason with her. "Just go over there and ask him yourself. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

Astrid groans in frustration as she turns around and leaves.

"At least you know he's not crazy." Fish calls after her.

"Slow down. Just because I don't use a cane to walk anymore doesn't mean that I can keep up to you speed demon." Hiccup calls after Astrid.

The two of them had decided to go for a walk to the movie. Astrid had wanted to drive but Hiccup convinced her that his leg could use the workout. It was partially true. Working at setting up his garage had taken all his free time and his leg could use a good stretching. The other reason is that he knew it would take longer and give him more time to talk to her.

"Sorry. I can't help myself." Astrid exclaims. "This is the first time we've gotten a chance to do something together in a long time."

That information settles a little on the personal side for Hiccup. He's a little ashamed that he still hasn't discussed 'them' with Astrid.

"So what have you been working on lately?" Astrid walks backwards right ahead of him.

"Working? Uhh. Nothing. I'm not working on anything." Hiccup lamely lies.

She's not buying any of it. "Hiccup. You're a lot of things. But a liar is not one of them."

Hiccup chews on that little tidbit. Always gives himself away when he's trying to be secretive. "Alright. I admit I am working on something. But it's a secret."

"Yeah. I figured. Fish said the same thing."

"You were talking to Fish about me?" Hiccup is a little surprised. He can feel hope growing in his chest.

Astrid's eyes grow wide and she spins back around. "Yeah. Just in passing. He said you were working on something big. And I figured since you seem distracted all the time that it was big.

"It's big."

"I can't wait for you to show me." Astrid tosses a smile over her shoulder.

"That's what she said." Hiccup jokes.

That gets a laugh out of Astrid. "Good one Michael Scott."

She slows down and the duo walks side by side the rest of the way to the theatre.

Hiccup slides out from under Toothless, wiping the sweat off his forehead using a greasy hand, smearing the grease all over his face. He grabs the pen from behind his ear and jots down a note in his notepad. Radiator, frame rails, shock towers, along with many other parts that need to be replaced.

The list kept growing and growing as he worked over the car.

Getting the engine out of the engine bay took some time. With how bent the car was, Hiccup needed to cut away a good amount of metal before it came free.

Before the end of the night he has the every bent and destroyed piece of metal chopped off Toothless. There wasn't much left of the car. It looked like he hauled it from a scrap steel yard.

He sits back staring around the garage. It was a mess but he was started. Next step was to order parts but he just needed to take a break. He didn't even know what time it was, he thought to himself as he yawned.

Sitting in a chair, with his elbow propped on a workbench and hand against his face, Hiccup faded off in to the land of sleep, thinking about how much work he had done and how much further he had to go before Toothless was roadworthy.