Change Of Heart

Pairing; Hector & Briana(Hiccup X OC)

Rating; M for Mature

Disclaimer; I do not own HTTYD or the songs I might use.

38. Let's Talk

{Normal POV}

=July 2017=

Briana's plan to save Hector from a revenge mark was easier said than done. Unfortunately, as much time as she spent with Hector and the Hell Drakes; she did not know how to locate one Rex Santiago. Asking straight out would only make her look suspicious, so what option did that leave her in finding the leader for the Sons of Odin? Not many, that's for sure. Briana was beginning to believe that the only way might be able to start making mentions to other gangs that she's looking for the rumored top group, and see if word got to Rex that someone was looking for an audience with him. Briana knew it was dangerous, but perhaps speaking to a female unassociated in the gang community might have a better chance getting a target off someone's back. For other things going on in life; Shane and TJ had started their outdoor lawn care and garden job. Thaxter was still working at the fast food place called Berkys. Cassandra got a part-time position at a grocery store, and she would still be going for her Nursing Assistant license with Rylee come September. Alexia didn't have a job, but she was doing some volunteer work for the local animal shelter where Hector's mom had worked. Flynn and Alyssa would be going to the Community College in September. Harper was still looking for a job, and thinking about possibly going to college too, but nothing had been decided officially.

Briana wasn't working because she was putting most of her time and effort into finding Rex, and keeping Hector happy. The date that took place on Monday, June 26 had gone well. Briana and Hector worked together to pack a picnic-style lunch themselves with sandwiches, fruit, chips, and drinks. After that, Hector grabbed Toothless, and Thornado, which had been his father's Great Dane. Briana and Hector walked over to her grandparent's house to get Sava, Briana's Savannah F1 cat, then they walked ten minutes to the park to enjoy their time together. In all that, the gang worked together to remove the evidence from Valarie Haddock's car that it had been tampered with. Victor fixed the brake line, and Jeremy cleaned up the pedal. There was no need to dispose of the Nitrous Oxide container since Hector had given that to Chief Svendson the day of the breakdown. When the boys were sure that Hector couldn't find anything to point to what happened, they cleaned up and left the car alone. If a time came when Hector remembered, they would just say that they wanted to surprise him by working on it a little so he wouldn't have so much work to do. Hector was back to partying, having fun again, but it wasn't hard to see that he still had his moments of depression. Not breaking down or crying, but seldom times Hector would have a drink or cigarette in hand; staring off into nothing while deep in the thought. Most of these happened when Hector was getting a buzz or tipsy, and it's when everyone left him alone until he came out of it on his own.

Hector noticed that Briana was adamant on coming along with him to parties in the city, or attending the ones he held at his house. Of course, these ones were smaller versions to keep suspicions down. And though, Hector feel it was a bit odd; he kind of liked it too. Briana would use this to ask questions that would help her find Rex because she would inquire about the allied gangs; using the excuse that if she and Hector ended up together, she should know who to avoid. Hector bought it, and would introduce her to the people she didn't have to worry about, and let her know which gangs were where that she needed to stay away from. This gave Briana a starting point at least. One person knew what she was up to; Flynn because Briana enlisted his help in hacking into police files to find information.

/Flashback/

A week had passed since Hector's drunken freak out about wanting to die, and everyone was on edge for when Hector inevitably remembered what happened that day. Thus far, he had not. Briana was at her house while Hector was with the Hell Drakes. Briana was trying to figure a way to carry out her plan, and having no luck. The police could have leads, but wouldn't divulge that information to her.

'Flynn has to know how to do all that computer stuff, but I shouldn't drag him into this,' Briana thought while biting her lip nervously. Finally, she pressed his contact ID and started a phone call. "Flynn. Hey, it's Bri. Can you come over real quick. I'm…having some computer trouble and Hector's in the city so I can't ask him to help me," a pause before Briana smiled. "Thank you so much. See you soon. Bye," Briana ended the session, then put her phone down to wait.

Flynn arrived fifteen minutes later, and Briana let him inside the house when he knocked on the door. "Alright, where's the computer?"

"It's right upstairs in my room," Briana led him upstairs. Once up, she shut the door to her room. "Here's the deal. I need to find someone and you're going to help me,"

"Um?" Flynn paused, unsure if he was following.

"I need you to hack into the police files using the program that I stole off Hector's Macbook," Briana informed as Flynn's eyes widened.

"That is so illegal! Why do you need that kind of information?!" Flynn asked quickly.

"You won't get caught using Hector's program because it bounces the signal, remember? Hector said this the night he stole the safe back from the hideout. Please, Flynn? You're the only one who can help me do this, and I'm trying to save Hector's life," Briana pleaded.

"Oh, my Gods! You're trying to find Rex to convince him to remove the mark, aren't you?!" Flynn accused. Briana nodded slowly. "Briana, the Drakes told you to stay out of this matter. What if you fuck up, and it only fuels Rex to kill Hector faster?"

"He won't. I'm a good negotiator, you know that. Now, please? Help me?" Briana tried again. Flynn searched her eyes a moment, then he sighed closing his own.

"You're in love with Hector. That's why you want to set him free," Flynn said.

"Yes, I am. I've fallen for him, and I know the reason he won't ask me out is that he's scared to be happy. This…mark is controlling his life, Flynn, and Hector doesn't deserve that. Help me, and don't say anything to anyone," Briana admitted firmly. Flynn finally sat down in the desk chair and scanned the program. "Thank you," she hugged him.

"I really hope you know what you're doing, Bri. If this fails, and something ends up happening to Hector; you'll have started a war that involves all the Drakes, plus their allied gangs. And Odin forbids it, but if something happens to you…" Flynn trailed off with a grave look in his eyes. "Hector will snap completely beyond anyone's help," Flynn said nothing after that; he just worked with the program. After an hour; he was able to get in. "What is it that you need to find?"

"Where did the case go after Hector's arrest?" Briana asked. Flynn sighed as he started looking for the information.

/End Flashback/

Flynn was only able to get twenty minutes of searching done before the timer ran out and they had to close the program to avoid being traced. Flynn informed Briana that after Hector's arrest, the warehouse location that Hector gave police was raided. There was a list of everyone who got caught, the drugs, and weapons that were seized in the bust. Flynn also found the case notes where the cops had been with tips and leads currently. And that last thing Flynn got access to was a list of all the gangs on the radar up to date. Briana was now using that list to compare to what Hector said about who to avoid, and she could mark where to find these people too. The cops didn't know that information, obviously, but the other gangs did. Flynn's words still rang in Briana's head, but she was determined to do this; and she knew she could get Rex to agree to remove Hector's mark for death.

Today, Briana was going to start her pickings through the gangs to find Rex; the chances were slim, but if nothing else, word would make it to Rex that someone was looking to talk to him. Briana set her plan up; she was going to go around just asking if anyone knew where to find the Sons of Odin, and if they asked her why, she could say that she knows how to get them something they want. What else could she use? Briana would have to bait them somehow. The problem was getting away from her friends and Hector. Briana didn't have a car, nor the extra cash to be making trips to the city.

"Briana, you good over there?" Hector asked when he noticed that she was looking deep in thought.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about something," Briana replied with a smile.

"Anything you wanna talk about? Maybe I can help?" Hector offered. That was the hook she'd been looking for in him. Gods, when did she get so devious as to trick the man she was in love with?

"Well, I talked to my aunt and uncle the other day, and they want me to come visit them more often," Briana began.

"I don't see how that's a problem?" Hector chuckled a little.

"The issue is that they live in the city, and I don't have a way to get there. My grandfather is always working, and the times he's not; it's shopping, cleaning, or sleeping. My grandmother can't drive because of her eyes. Also, can't take Papi's car because it's a stick-shift, and I don't know how to drive those," Briana blushed a bit.

"You wanna take my bike?" Hector suggested. Okay, Briana was not expecting that. "I'm gonna be staying here to work on mom's car most of the day, and the guys are keeping me company. So if you want to take my motorcycle, I won't mind," he smiled.

"You would be okay with me taking your baby, alone?" Briana asked, a little shocked.

"Sure. I trust you with her," Hector nodded. Gods, he was such a sweetheart, and Briana suddenly felt terrible that she was lying to him.

"That's so nice of you. That would be awesome. I'll…text my aunt right now and see if I can come today. I really miss my cousins," Briana said while pulling out her phone, making it seem like she was texting someone. After a minute, she got into the settings to make her phone ding, then acted like she got a reply. "Guess the response was 'YES!' in caps," Briana giggled a little.

"Where is your aunt and uncles place?" Derek asked.

"It's about forty from your old hangout on Elwood," Briana enlightened. Hector handed her the key to the bike. "Thank you,"

"Be careful, and get out of the city by streetlights. That's a biker gang territory who we don't ally with. Girl on a bike like this is a wet dream for them. If you run into trouble," Hector said as he got his gun from out of his left leg. "Don't be afraid to use it," he stated firmly. "You know how to fire?" Briana shook her head. Hector put it in her hands and position them how to hold the gun. "Flip this turn off the safety, and shoot with both eyes open,"

"B-But this is to protect you," Briana protested.

"I would rather it be protecting you. I have the guys if Rex gets the brilliant idea to attack me and broad daylight. Use it to fire a few warning shots to make them back off, then get out of there as fast as you can. Understand me?" Hector asked.

"Perfectly," Briana said while tucking the gun away into her light coat pocket. "I'll be back no later than 9 pm, and I'll update you when I arrive, and leave," she remarked. Hector nodded as Briana moved over to the bike and threw her leg over it. Hector handed her the helmet as she went to put it on, then snap it into place.

"Stay safe, and if anyone starts following you; go to Xavier's," Hector ordered.

"I will," Briana assured. Hector stepped back a few times as Briana started the bike, then she backed up and headed down the street. Hector pulled out his phone and called Xavier.

"Hey. Briana's on my bike headed to the family on Elwood in the city. She has my gun for protection and told her that if she ends up being followed to go to your place. If she shows up, call me," Hector said.

"We'll keep an eye on her, my friend," Xavier told him.

"Thanks," Hector ended the call then got to work on his mom's car. The Hell Drakes could tell that he was worried for Briana's safety, primarily because she was on his bike wearing a jean jacket, black shirt, and black jeans with a pair of low-heel boots. If any of Hector's enemies saw this, they might mistake her for him. However, Hector didn't want Briana to not have a way to see her family, and that's why he let her go with not one, but two forms of protection.

{With Briana}

Briana made her way from Berk to the city in an hour. Riding Hector's bike alone was different than him controlling it, so she was a bit nervous. Reaching her destination; she knew her best bet would be downtown in the alleyways. Ten to one, there would be a disguised homeless person as a guard for a gang, or who knew, maybe they would be more evident than that. Briana was going off of what Hector and the others informed her about because there was no way she could do this without a little insight on the matter first. Briana gathered her courage while tucking one of Hector's cigarettes, which she found in one of his bike compartments, behind her ear, and stuck hands in her pockets while making her way into the alley. Briana veered right at the end and saw a few guys smoking cigarettes, or maybe it was weed.

"Hey, what's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?" asked one of the males with a chuckle.

"What's it to you. Free island to go wherever I want," Briana retorted coldly as she grabbed the smoke and placed it between her lips, lighting it. Yes, she'd been practicing so it would look believable. Briana didn't mind smoking, but she didn't do it a lot. Convincing Hector and the others that she wanted to give it a try had been a chore, but eventually, they caved and said if she wanted to do it, why stop her since they all did things that were worse.

"Oh, little feisty, are we?" said a large man.

"Back off," Briana scoffed as she took a drag, then blew out the smoke. "I'm looking for someone who owes me a favor. Maybe you can point me in the right direction,"

"Depends on what we get for helping," one challenged.

"I don't call the police and tell them you're selling to a bunch of teenagers. Information for my silence, how's that for a deal?" Briana offered coldly. The males stared, nodding to the agreement. "Sons of Odin," she said with a firm stare before taking another drag. "Where can I find them?"

{Briana's POV}

{A Month Later}

God damn this was next to impossible to find these guys! A month I'd been at this, and none of the gangs I managed to speak with had any information. In fact, all of them used the excuse that the Sons of Odin were finished because of a bust, or that they were a joke because of some seventeen-year-old kid kicking their asses by himself. Of course, everyone would know about that, but nobody knew where to find the group. I'd been doing this on the weekends, telling Hector that it was what my family wanted, to see me as much as they could. Each time, Hector had me take his gun, and thankfully, I haven't had to use it yet. I was in the city now; it was August, and I was ready to give up. Sons of Odin really have dropped off the map, or maybe people weren't gonna tell me because I'm a girl? Who knew, but perhaps there was nothing I could do after all, and I hated lying to Hector about why I took his bike on Saturday and Sunday every week. I had just grabbed some lunch, and was preparing to get on the bike to leave. When Hector asked why I was back so early, I could tell him that my cousin got sick or something. I sighed; I think I was calling it quits. If Hector asked why I wasn't going to the city anymore, maybe I could say I had a fight with my aunt and uncle, and we weren't talking right now. It would be the only thing believable as to why I suddenly stopped making trips there.

I unhooked the motorcycle, preparing to leave when I saw someone approaching me from around the corner of the building I had been in.

"Hey. You the chick looking for Sons of Odin?" the man asked. I stopped quickly and looked at him.

Holding my composure, I relaxed some. "Yeah. What of it?"

"I can tell you where to find them for price," he taunted.

"How about you give me that information and I won't have to hurt you?" I threatened with my hand on the gun in my jacket, lifting it up so the man would understand. The male gulped with his hands up.

"Alright, you win. The abandoned Dragon Fury Gym; you're gonna wanna see Rex Santiago for whatever it is you want from them," the guy said. Dragon Fury Guy? That was…the Hell Drakes old hideout! I thought it was under watch from the bust still. Flynn didn't find that in the notes about the case. Either way, I had what I'd been looking for all this time.

"Thanks," I said. The male vanished into the darkness of the alley. I took a deep breath; this was my only chance before it got dark. I started the bike and I shot towards the old hideout. I had time since it was only a little past 1 pm.

{Dragon Fury Gym}

I pulled up on the Hell Drake's old hangout, and took a moment to calm my nerves. I turned the bike off, and kicked out the stand before getting off and moving to the door. I pounded on it a few times; I could hear the music blaring, so no guarantee they would hear me. The door opened moments later revealing a man peering at me.

"Business?" he said.

"I need to speak to your boss," I said, though, I hadn't removed the helmet yet. It was my trump card for getting in. I was wearing Hector's jacket because it was a windy day today, and I had black jeans on. Honestly, you couldn't tell if I was male or female like this. The man grabbed my arm and yanked me in after someone whispered something to him. "Remove your hand from my body unless you want it broken," I hissed. I was pulled into the hangout more, then the door shut tightly, locking. Soon, I found myself in the central sitting area with everyone looking at me. Finally, I was let go.

"Didn't think you had a death wish this bad, Haddock. Did ya realize you couldn't outrun us forever?" came a voice. I looked to see a man snickering at me.

"I'm sorry to disappoint, boys, but I'm afraid you've got the wrong person," I said as I unsnapped the helmet and pulled it off. I pulled Hector's gun out and pointed it at his forehead. "I'm here to negotiate, so let's talk," I glared.