I love the response to last chapter! Hehehehe!

This one gets a little... messy toward the end.

-HTTYD-

Ok, ok. Don't overreact yet.

Hiccup tried to straighten his mind out just a bit, needing to be safe to drive. He raced over to Astrid's place and let himself in - he had a key, though he had almost never actually used it before. He held out hope that it was something bad but not terrible - maybe she'd fallen and hadn't been able to get help? It wouldn't have been nice to know she'd been that way all night and all day, but at least he would know where she was...

No such luck.

His heart rate leapt up several beats as Hiccup felt his hands start to shake. He scrolled through his contacts and hit call, a sleepy voice answering.

"Hiccup? What's up?"

"Astrid is missing."

Eret seemed to wake up immediately.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes! She didn't tell me she got home and then I didn't hear from her this morning and then I went to pick her up from work and she wasn't there!"

Coughing a couple of times, the sleep cleared itself from Eret's voice as he answered.

"Ok" there was a wet swallow, as though he stopped to drink water while Astrid was missing! "when did you last definitely know where she was?"

"Last night. When I left, she was heading to the gym. I offered to drive her, but she wanted to jog over there. She always tells me when she gets back home, but I fell asleep waiting for her. Sometimes she takes a really long time in there. I started to worry when she still hadn't gotten back to me this morning, but I was picking her up at lunchtime today. She didn't make it to work. And I'm at her place now, she's not here. There's no sign she made it back from the gym."

No discarded workout gear, no half-rinsed coffee mug in the sink or forgotten bit of toast on the side when she was running late.

"Right. Ok. Well... I'll call work, have the local hospitals checked. Just in case. I'd suggest having them trace her phone too, but I get the feeling you're going to do that yourself."

"I need to get home to my laptop first, so if they can trace her while I'm on my way I'm not going to turn down the help."

Right now, nothing mattered but finding Astrid. If the cops could actually do something useful for once, he wasn't going to argue. He hung up so Eret could call in to his station, barely remembering to lock Astrid's door behind him before he ran to his car and broke the speed limit to get home.

"Son? What's wrong?"

"Astrid's missing."

"What?"

Hiccup bade her to wait a minute while he got his laptop, before returning to the kitchen to explain it to her while he booted it up, the setting up of various systems that allowed his more illicit online activities taking longer than a simple press of the on button and a little start up.

"GPS on her phone turned up by a gym ten minutes from her house. Got two officers going to check it out, but I'm expecting it to be that the phone was dumped. Nobody matching her name or description in any local A&E departments."

He growled, clenching his fist so hard around his phone that it made an ominous creaking sound.

"What is it you're looking for?"

Valka asked, probably the only person in the world other than Astrid to feel safe around Hiccup in such a black, black mood.

"I think... I think that someone took Astrid. To get my attention. The Night Fury's attention. And so... I have to look where the Night Fury fans are."

He left a program running to search for a few key words on public forums, before using a few others to find his way deeper in to the internet, where crime was commonplace and everything available for a price.

It didn't take him long to find something he was looking for.

"Well, his days are numbered."

"Yeah. From what I hear, he's lucky not to have gotten a beating from Hofferson anyway."

There were a dozen or so messages like it, none being too specific, but several of them clearly saying that somebody had Astrid, and it was because of Hiccup. One had posted a link. His stomach twisted painfully, sick with what he might see, but he couldn't help clicking on it.

"Is that her?"

Hiccup jumped, realising his mother had come around behind him to watch what he was doing.

"Yeah."

She looked unconscious. Tied to something that he thought might be a heavy wooden beam, still wearing her running shorts and the jacket she always wore out at night - it got cold when she was at the gym past midnight, after all. Hiccup was initially relieved to see her clothing intact, then realised there were red smears and splotches on the blue fabric.

Astrid's blood.

"What is all this?"

"Taunting me. Telling me to come and get her. And when I do, they'll have video of me. Not that it's gonna do them much good, having a video of their own murder, but hey, if that's their dying wish."

Valka didn't even try to talk him down. She knew the second Hiccup said someone had Astrid that her son would have blood on his hands again soon.

Hiccup tweaked a few settings, pulled out one of his previously unused screen names for the forum that could be discarded when he was done, and began to type.

"I am the Night Fury. This is a one time offer. Someone know's who has her, and they are going to tell me. In return, you can have whatever you want, other than my true identity. Details of every kill, advice on how to avoid detection. If you have a good enough reason and they're local enough, I'll make someone disappear from your life if that's what it takes. Just tell me where she is, and I promise that camera show will get a lot more interesting."

He pressed enter, and he waited, the anger churning in his belly growing by the minute.

A private message popped up in the corner.

"Prove it."

"How?"

It took them a minute to come up with something, during which time Hiccup deleted three other messages that read "are you really the Night Fury?" or words to that effect. Finally, the first one messaged back with a half dozen questions about various, very specific details. Hiccup answered them quickly, hoping this person was actually going to come through.

"Alright. I don't know where he is, but I do know who he is. I traded some hardcore goreporn with him a few months back, we got chatting, and he mentioned on one of those boards that he was going to meet you."

"I'll take what I can get. What's his name?"

"Ah ah. First, I want to know what I'm getting in return."

"What do you want?"

All this time being wasted that Hiccup should be looking for Astrid. He kept his eye on the stream, seeing the twitches and small movements that said Astrid was coming around.

"You're gonna kill this guy right?"

"Obviously."

The request itself, Hiccup wasn't too surprised by.

"Deal. Name?"

Hiccup called Eret back as soon as he had a name, taking note of the additional warnings that the livestream wasn't the only camera in the house, and that the guy had an impressive knife collection.

"I need an address."

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because your system changed it's firewall, and it's going to take me like fifteen minutes to break in. You are quicker."

Eret sighed.

"I can't just give you someones address."

"Eret Hunter, if you make me take the time to break in to your records, and something happens to Astrid because you finally grew a damn conscience, I swear you will regret it."

Playing with Eret had been fun, something he and Astrid had found entertaining, sure. But he was nothing to Hiccup compared to Astrid, and if he had to scare Eret in to doing what he needed, he would.

"Alright. But call me from your other phone. Ten minutes. Don't be in your house when you call."

Hiccup understood; Eret was covering himself now. If he searched that address while on the phone to Hiccup, and a dead body turned up there later? That was going to be something neither of them could explain away. Standing up to get his clothes, Hiccup caught sight of his mother and saw the worry in her face.

"Take your meds, get some rest. Don't talk to the weirdos on the internet. Actually, I wouldn't watch that stream for too long once you see me on it. Probably going to get messy."

He shoved his clothes in to a duffel bag; it was daylight out, he couldn't just stroll around in full Night Fury gear. Then he got the rest of his things, and returned to his mother at her request. She kissed his forehead, smoothing his hair back.

"Bring her home, but be careful."

Ow. Ow. Ow.

Those were her first thoughts. Astrid blinked blearily, feeling the pain on the back of her head throb in time with her pulse. Her skin felt tacky, something dried on the back of her neck. She really hoped it was blood, not something... else.

Her vision was a little blurred, and enough conversations with Hiccup about varying degrees of head trauma told her she'd been hit pretty damn hard with something, between the blood and the dizziness. Trying to focus, she saw a little red light in the distance. 'The distance' turned out to be the other end of a room, and the red light a camera. She made to lift her hands to rub at her face, but they wouldn't move.

That was when she realised she was tied up. Her ankles were tied together too. It felt like something out of a cheesy TV show. Especially when she realised the weird feeling on her face was a cloth gag, preventing her from calling out and informing whatever idiot it was that was holding her there that they were so dead. And that was no idle threat. Astrid was dating a serial killer.

Which was probably what got her kidnapped in the first place. Hiccup was going to say 'I told you so' about those damned letters, she just knew it.

"Oh. You're awake."

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but... it wasn't that. This guy didn't look much like a fan of serial killers, or the type to kidnap somebody. Then again, Hiccup had taught her looks could be deceiving.

Still, in his blue jeans and white button up shirt, short brown hair just long enough to sweep across his forehead, Astrid wouldn't have glanced twice at this guy in the street. She growled through the gag, still feeling dizzy.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be here soon. Then the fun can start."

"The fun?"

It was muffled, but he obviously understood.

"The Night Fury likes you. He'll be so happy I tied you up ready for him. We're gonna have so much fun with you, and I'll get to learn from the best!"

Oh wow, this guy was reallyyyy in the deep end of la la land. The way he leered at Astrid's bare legs, running shorts not covering much of her, made panic roll through her despite herself. She was already worried what he might have done while she was unconscious.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything before he gets here. I promised myself I'd let him go first."

Did this guy really think Hiccup was going to turn up and be thrilled to have some kind of team rape opportunity? When the Night Fury was known for hating rapists?

"I can see why he likes you though. Real pretty one, you are."

If she could have done, she'd have spat in his face. As it was, she could only glare as best she could and try not to vomit on her gag as nausea welled again. Damned head injuries.

"I didn't tell him where to find us, but he's good. He'll work it out."

The guy carried on talking, mostly to himself, before crossing the room and starting to open up a big cabinet that had four or five locks on. Gods only knew what the guy kept in there. He'd just opened the last one and started to open the doors when there was a new sound. Astrid did her best not to turn around and draw attention, but he'd heard it too.

"Maybe he's here!"

If he was, this guy was awful excited to have his throat ripped out. He rushed off toward the creaking floorboard in the next room... and came back through the door with quite some force and a loud yelp. Stumbling and landing on the floor, he looked equal parts enthralled and petrified as the Night Fury stood over him.

It took everything in Astrid not to shout Hiccup's name in relief. The helmet-clad head turned toward Astrid, and there was a tiny relaxation in the set of his shoulders when he saw Astrid alive and relatively unharmed.

Then he kicked the guy who'd taken her pretty hard.

"I did it for you! I know you like her, I thought it would make a nice gift."

Hiccup leant down and wrapped his gloved fingers around the mans throat, using the grip to hoist him back to a clumsy standing position before throwing him several feet away. When he fell, the guy's head thumped against the ground. He didn't move. Hiccup walked over to Astrid, and pulled the cloth gag away from her face right away.

"I'm ok."

She murmured quietly, feeling him run his fingers over her head to check for injuries and hissing when he found the egg-sized lump on the back of her head. There was a low growl in his throat as he got up - leaving her tied up for the moment, but Astrid knew he couldn't simply walk out of there with her.. Especially on camera.

Astrid learned what was in the cabinet a minute later, when Hiccup started pulling various knives out of it. Some gleaming menacingly, others ornate and delicate in his big hands. Hiccup stood making several choices, testing the sharpness by gouging lines in the cabinet's wooden frame.

He didn't start there though. Almost the second the 'fan' who kidnapped Astrid began to come around, Hiccup tossed him around the room, ignoring any of the words babbled in his direction, pleas for mercy and teaching falling on deaf ears. Blood spattered the walls, the floor, even Astrid herself before Hiccup dropped the half-dead body in front of the camera.

The Night Fury knew the limits of the human body better than most, and so Hiccup knew exactly how to stick the guy with his own knife collection in spots that would cause excruciating pain without actually killing him... yet. The screams were piercing, and Astrid completely appreciated why Hiccup had never agreed to let her see him 'in action' before. It was as raw and brutal as it was entrancing.

"Don't struggle."

Hiccup murmured, barely audible as he undid the ropes that bound her arms, hefting her a little roughly out of that room and dropping her in what looked like the kidnappers kitchen. Her legs were still tied, though once Hiccup re-did the knots behind her back to hold her arms, he loosened the knots on her legs. She bit back a joke about how it was usually her tying him up.

"When I'm done, I'll have someone come get you, but this can't look like a lovers rescue."

It was a whisper, and when Astrid was looking around her, she spotted another camera. She waited for him to be over her again, blocking her from camera-view.

"I know."

He rubbed his gloved thumb across her cheek, blood smearing there but Astrid ignored it. Hiccup turned on the gas cooker, using the flame to heat up his ring. He made sure it was all off before he left again, and Astrid heard the sizzle before she heard the scream.

Hiccup always waited until they were dead for that. Obviously, kidnapping Astrid had him making an exception.

At first, she thought he'd left the gas on. Then she realised she could smell lighter fluid. Was he...

The whoomph of flames catching was louder than she'd expected, and there was a flickering light source that wasn't there before. The screaming stopped pretty quickly.

Hiccup came back to her, holding a phone in his hand that he tapped 999 in to. In his other hand was an address scrawled on paper. He held the phone to Astrid's ear.

"999 Operator, which emergency service do you require?"

When he left, Hiccup closed the door to the kitchen and covered the crack at the bottom with something - keeping the smoke out and limiting how much burning human flesh Astrid had to breathe in. She knew he hated leaving her behind, but if Astrid could have spoke candidly, she'd have told him to do it anyway, to get away before the emergency services arrived. She'd be fine on her own for a bit if it meant Hiccup not being caught and arrested.

It wasn't that long anyway, really. There was yelling as someone rushed to put out the dead guy, then there was shuffling and muffled conversation before the kitchen door was thrown open. Eret stood there, wide eyed at the state of her.

"Any chance you're gonna untie me?"

That seemed to shock him in to action, and he hastened to comply, freeing Astrid's arms and legs.

"Are you hurt?"

"Only a bit. Most of the blood is his."

She gestured to the back of her head, wincing when Eret touched it gently before he turned and called for a paramedic to come and tend to her.

"You'll have to be processed."

"Whatever. Can you call Hiccup and have him come to wherever you take me?"

"Sure."

Astrid went compliantly, someone actually going to the absolutely useless lengths of covering what was left of the body with a hastily erected sheet between her and it, as though Astrid had survived watching the Night Fury in action only to fall apart at what was left.

"Astrid! Are you alright?"

Hiccup looked every inch the panicked boyfriend, relieved to see her and having to be restrained from hugging her by a nearby police officer, as though he had no idea she was covered in evidence. He shoved their arm away from him, scowling.

"What happened to you? I was so worried!"

Everyone was listening in then, and Astrid did her best to sound like it was a shock, a surreal event, not the wholly expected circumstance of her boyfriend coming to her aid.

"The... the Night Fury saved me."

-HTTYD-

Well, what did he think was gonna happen when he messed with the Night Fury's favourite?