Hiccups

by KatieMarie999

Growing Up Haddock Story 8: Life has many ups and downs. What we would like to call hiccups. Hiccups are annoying, complicated. You can't always make them go away. Sometimes it takes time and patience. They can even be painful. But as the Haddocks find out, hiccups are a natural occurrence in life. It's how you deal with them that is the key.

45. Sunrise

Happy New Year, friends! Holy guacamole, this chapter was almost sixty pages. Oof. BUT I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU TO READ THEM AHHHH

We managed to get this chapter done relatively quickly, as our deadline was to get it done before my birthday, which just so happens to be Sunday! Woot! Super excited. Can't wait for you guys to read the chapter! Keep those reviews coming, not just in the server but in ! We want to keep those numbers up. Let's see if we can get to 900 reviews before the story is complete, eh? ;)

Love you guys to the moon and back! Can't wait to read your thoughts!

~Em

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Chapter 45: Sunrise

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Adrianna felt the blood drain from her face. She knew she must look terrified, and judging by the fact that her terror was mirrored on all the faces around her, she knew she wasn't alone in this. She really had thought those pains were nothing. For weeks now, she would feel twinges of pressure or even tiny shoots of pain in her belly, but she didn't think much about it because Mara had told her they were common and would go away on their own.

This pain, however, had been very sharp. It wasn't unlike her monthly pains, though those usually dulled with tea and a nap. The idea of trying to drink tea and take a nap to alleviate this felt morbidly funny to her.

"Okay," Erick said, recovering from the shock first, "We have to get Annie to Hiccup and Astrid's."

Yes. Her mom and dad's. They had planned on it if this happened. It was far enough away that no one would pass by and hear whatever was going on, and given what she'd overheard at the healer's in the past, she had a horrible feeling her baby wouldn't be the only one crying before this was over.

"Right," Hiccup said. "Addie, are you okay to walk there?"

Adrianna had to grip a nearby table to stand up from where she was sitting, but she managed it without help.

"We should go," she said with much more determination than she felt.

"W-wait a minute!" Finn exclaimed, trying and failing to stand up thanks to Inga and Genevieve grabbing his arms. "Can't you stop it? We can't have her-" he lowered his voice, "We can't have her give birth while Brandyn is here, not after this. Demand a rematch, I can fight again when I'm-"

"Absolutely not." Genevieve chided, her face still white with terror. "Look at what he almost did to you."

"I agree," Mara said. "There will be no more fights today. Genevieve is right, you could have been killed out there. You need rest and bandaging. You will stay at my house tonight, Finn, no arguments!" She had to raise her voice on the last part, because Finn, of course, had opened his mouth to argue. "You need rest and you need your wound monitored. Inga will stay behind to do that. Can I trust you to do that, Inga?"

Inga looked a bit surprised to be addressed, but she nodded. "Of course, I will."

"Forget about me, my sister's about to have a baby!" Finn tried and failed to stand again. "You need to stop this because if we let it continue-"

Mara let out a mirthless laugh. "Stop it? Finn, use your head! She's already almost two weeks past her due date! No, listen," she raised her voice over Finn's objections again. "Nothing is going to happen to her. I'll make sure of it."

Hiccup nodded. "I've got guards at the house already, and several people on the council have already agreed to guard it all night if they have to. Addie's not going anywhere. And Brandyn's not getting anywhere near her." He looked at Adrianna, his expression softening. "I promise."

Finn growled in frustration. "And you expect me to sit at Mara's and wait for news on that?"

Adrianna's eyebrows shot up. She'd never considered that Finn might want to be there for the birth.

Mara sighed, looking between Finn and Adrianna with an expression of mingled amusement and defeat. Adrianna had to admit that the Haddocks weren't very easy patients.

"Labor takes a very long time, Finn." Mara said. "And it depends on what Adrianna is comfortable with."

All eyes turned to Adrianna, which made her feel incredibly awkward. She and Finn looked at each other.

"He can stay in the house. I mean… I wouldn't mind. Not in the room, but the house, if he's up to it." She turned to Hiccup. "You should go to the meeting. It's starting soon, and with Finn out for the count, people are going to guess. Brandyn's going to guess."

Hiccup tightened his jaw and looked like he wanted to argue, but Adrianna knew this was the wisest course of action, and so did he.

"I will be there as fast as I can, okay?" He stepped forward and hugged her. "And if anything happens, I want you to send someone to get me. Forget the council, if you need me for any reason, I'll be there."

"I know you will." Adrianna suddenly felt the urge to cry but overcame it. The truth was, she was terrified, and Hiccup always made her feel a lot less frightened. But so did Erick, and he was going to be there every step of the way. "Now go, before you change your mind."

Hiccup smiled, swiped the single tear that had escaped her eye with his thumb, and kissed her forehead. Then he left the arena without another word.

Erick's arm was around her shoulders the second he was gone. "We should go now. Before it gets any worse."

A sharp wave of pain hit her and Adrianna gasped. "Agreed." She squeezed her brother's hand briefly and told him to rest before Erick and Mara led her from the room. Astrid led them through the tunnel and took a sharp right turn, away from the crowds.

"There's a shortcut to our house," she said quietly, nodding at the few stragglers who saw them walking. "We should be there in a few minutes."

"I can make it." Adrianna said, squeezing Erick's hand. At least, she hoped she would.

"At any rate, walking is good," Mara said. "This could be beneficial."

Adrianna's heart lurched in her chest in fear but she pushed it away. One step at a time. She wouldn't fall to pieces. Not yet anyway. She glanced at Erick, who gave her a small, tense smile. At least she wasn't the only one who looked a bit terrified.

It took a long time to get to the house and by the time they did, Adrianna wasn't in a good mood. A bit of time passed between each pain but the last few had been so sharp, she'd had to stop. Erick had held her hand but as soon as it passed, Mara would urge them onward. Adrianna forced herself to be patient. The last thing she wanted was to have this baby in the woods. It would not become a habit for the Haddocks to have their children outside.

Adrianna snorted and Erick gave her a bemused look. "What?"

"Oh I just hope we get there soon," she said. "Or else I'll be having this baby open to the elements."

"It's not a pleasant experience," Astrid said, taking her hand. "I won't let that happen."

It seemed to take forever, but they finally arrived at her parents' house. It smelled like it always did, like homemade scones, coffee and the sharp tang of oil from her dad's tinkering. As soon as the door closed, they helped her upstairs to her parents' room. Astrid retrieved a large bag of goods from Cliff's closet-her old closet-and helped her change into more comfortable clothes while Mara talked to Erick in the hallway.

Adrianna heard snaches of the conversation like "long process" and "keeping calm". Astrid pulled back her hair and pulled into a high bun so that it wouldn't be in her face, when another pain hit her, sharper and stronger than before.

"Ow. Oww." Adrianna gasped, clutching her belly.

"Breathe through it," Astrid said, holding her shoulders. "Adrianna, breathe."

Mara swept in, Erick on her heels. His face was white with fear. The expression made her smile, even while the pain lingered.

"What's so funny now?" Astrid asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I just can't believe this is actually happening."

"Let's get comfortable." Mara said, easing her onto the bed and grabbing a bag. "It will be some time before… well, before it's time, but I need to check your progress. Erick, why don't you get some rags and water from downstairs?"

Erick nodded a bit shakily and disappeared. Adrianna blinked after him.

"He's understandably a bit shaken up," Mara said, patting her arm. "He handled everything at the arena better, not that I'm saying he's doing a poor job right now. Now lie back for me."

Adrianna gulped and complied, forcing herself to remain calm. Everything would be fine. Women had been having children for thousands of years. Granted, it wasn't exactly a guaranteed safe thing to do. Or a pleasant experience.

Tears burned in her eyes and she forced herself to take a long breath. Her mom met her eyes and tsked, taking her hand. "Oh, Adri," Astrid said, brushing her tears away. "It's going to be alright. I promise."

"I'm so scared," she whispered. "I'm not ready."

"Did I ever tell you," Astrid said. "About how terrified I was?"

"Well you were kidnapped and had to give birth on a random island with no healer."

"Yes but that's not what I mean," Astrid said, sitting beside her and holding her arm to her chest. "We were newlyweds when I got pregnant. I didn't think I was ready to be a mom. And then after everything happened with Dagur and being in such a terrible place to give birth, trust me, I was terrified. When all was said and done, I didn't feel prepared at all either. But when I saw Finn for the first time," she laughed and shook her head. "And then a few minutes later you came along… well, I wanted to kill your dad for one."

Adrianna laughed, brushing the remaining tears away. "Please don't let it be twins."

"You were so small, I had no idea. But considering the near-constant argument we always had about if it was a boy or a girl, all things worked out just the way they were meant to." Astrid beamed. She bent and kissed her forehead. "Everything will be okay."

Encouraged, Adrianna nodded. She glanced at the door. "Erick…"

"He'll be back," she promised. "I think he just needed a minute."

Mara stood and patted her knee. "Alright my sweet, it's not as far along as I expected. That means-"

"That we're going to be here for a while." Adrianna sighed.

"Perhaps," Mara said. "But perhaps not. We'll just have to keep an eye on things."

Adrianna swallowed but nodded, feeling less afraid than she was a few minutes ago. She trusted Mara and her mom. Now if only Erick would return. She wanted to talk to him before she was in so much pain that she couldn't think straight. As if on cue, another wave of pain hit her and she hissed through her teeth.

Astrid squeezed her arm and stood. "I'm going to see where that husband of yours went off to."

"Yes please," Adrianna said. "That would be good."

Astrid turned from the room and disappeared down the stairs. Adrianna covered her eyes with an arm while Mara bustled around the room. She tried not to think about how the next few hours were going to go, but it was inevitable as the pains kept coming and going in shorter increments.

---

Erick braced his hands against the countertop and tried to control his breathing. He hadn't been able to stop the shaking in his hands when Mara had given him the "remain calm" speech. After everything that had happened today, his wife going into labor was the last thing he wanted.

Finn's invoking the right of Clause Seventeen had been a stressful ordeal. He'd hated sitting silent in the Great Hall but had agreed with his brother-in-law that it was for the best. He and Adrianna would reveal themselves when the time came. She hadn't wasted the opportunity, using it to her advantage. She'd handled it much better than he'd expected her to actually.

Then the duel. His stomach twisted, remembering the ferocity of the fight and the blood that was spilled on both young men before Finn was savagely injured. Of course Brandyn had cheated. He'd probably hired some obscure individual to intervene should it look like the worst would happen. Erick had barely managed to fire that arrow in time. Finn had almost died.

And now, Adrianna could die.

He clenched his jaw and took a shaky breath. He needed to get a grip. Still, nearly losing Finn and clotting the blood from the wound on his neck with nothing but his bare hands brought up terrible memories. Memories of when he'd been the one lying on the ground mortally wounded.

And now he needed to wait for their baby to be born and the best he could do was hope and pray to all the gods that Adrianna would be fine. With a jolt of fear, he wondered what would happen if Adrianna died in childbirth? As her husband, he had the rights to her child, right? Could he still fight Brandyn for the baby if he made the claim? What would happen to Adrianna's baby if he then died in the duel?

Erick shoved his hands into his hair as boots pounded on the stairs, interrupting the silence. There was a series of quick steps and then hands were on his shoulders.

"Erick," Astrid said. "She's going to be fine."

"We don't know that," he said hoarsely, dropping his hands. His hair was probably sticking up in odd directions but he didn't care. Not when he felt the need to pace. "Nobody can make that promise."

"Yes, there is danger in childbirth," Astrid said in a level tone. "But we have the best healer helping her. She has us, and Adri's strong. We can do this."

Erick shook his head and looked away, ashamed at the burn of tears in his eyes. "I can't lose her, Astrid. After everything we've been through, I couldn't bear it." He swallowed and met her eyes again. "And we almost lost Finn today. After all this, Brandyn could still make the claim and then what do we do?"

"We deal with it when the time comes," Astrid said. "If the time comes."

"Gods, I wish this week would be over. If we can get through this week and keep everyone alive and together, then everything will be fine-" Astrid wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. It took all his willpower not to fall to pieces right there, even as he hugged her back.

"Everything will be fine, Erick." She pulled back and pressed her hands to his face. "I know it's scary and I know you're worried about Finn. He'll be fine. He's strong and has more than enough willpower to remain on this earth for a little while longer."

Erick huffed a laugh and rubbed his face. "You're right. Plus he's got Genevieve."

"Right. But Adri needs you now. Push everything to the side: Brandyn, the duel, the claim, just push it all away. The only thing that's important right now is your wife." Astrid's blue eyes were firm and unyielding. "She needs you. And no matter what happens going forward, you are not alone. You have me and Hiccup and many others. Let tomorrow handle itself."

Erick took a deep breath into his lungs and let it out. "Right," he nodded. "You're right."

A series of shouting sounded outside and they whirled around. One of the guards grunted in pain and the door flung open. Astrid lunged for the nearest butcher knife while Erick jumped in front of the stairs, but they froze when they saw a dark-haired woman in a homespun dress close the door with a snap.

"I came as soon as I could," Lara said. She marched forward and surveyed Erick's expression, which must have been a little shocked. "How is she doing? Are you alright?"

Despite himself and Astrid's little pep talk moments before, Erick's eyes burned again. "Mom. You're here."

"Well of course I'm here," Lara said indignantly. "I've been present for each and every one of my grandbabies, why wouldn't I-"

Erick threw his arms around her in a hug. She stiffened, clearly a bit stunned but soon her arms wrapped around his back. "Thank you," he whispered. He pulled back and met her dark eyes. "This means more to me than you know."

Lara pursed her lips, clearly fighting a proud smile. She put a hand to his cheek. "Well, old habits aside, I felt after this long and stressful day you'd need all the help you can get."

Astrid quickly embraced her. "Yes indeed. Thank you." She pulled back and exhaled, glancing up the stairs. "To answer your question Mara said things aren't too far along-"

"But they're progressing," Mara said from the top of the stairs, hands on her hips. "Where are my rags and water?"

"Oh gods," Erick darted to the washroom where he knew clean rags were kept. "Sorry!"

The women tittered behind him and he quickly gathered as many rags as he could before running to the well outside for a bucket of water. His head felt clearer than it had all day. Astrid was right. The most important thing right now was being there for Adrianna, his Annie, who'd been there through his most trying times. She'd held his hand as he'd nearly died while losing his leg, perhaps the most painful physical experience he'd probably ever go through.

Well now it was her turn. She was about to give birth to their first child. He'd make sure she was as comfortable as possible and get anything she might possibly need until he dropped. He'd hold her hand and distract her from the pain as best he could. Everything else was secondary.

As he hauled the bucket of water up from the well, he sloshed cold water onto his arms with the realization that hit him square in the chest: he was going to be a dad today.

He huffed a laugh and eagerly ran back to the house. Halfway there he frowned in confusion, then slapped a hand to his forehead before doubling back. He'd left the bucket of water sitting at the well.

"Gods I'm really losing it," Erick muttered before snatching it up and shuffling to the back door. He glanced up at the afternoon sun slowly descending toward the trees. If they were lucky the baby would be born today. There was no telling, perhaps it would be in the early morning. If his poor Annie was really unlucky, it could be even further away.

Whatever the case, he reasoned, it was going to be a long, long day ahead. But as he brought the bucket of water to a boil in a metal pot, he reminded himself that it would be okay, and cracked a smile.

After so many months of planning and preparing, the baby was coming. He bit his lip at the thrill of excitement that rose in his chest. He grabbed the towels and sprinted up the stairs, ready to help in every way he could.

---

If Genevieve didn't know him so well, she might have thought the injury hadn't even fazed him. But as time dragged on and she kept finding Finn gritting his teeth, clenching his hands into fists or glaring at the ceiling with an icy look colder than a glacier, she knew he was hiding the fact that he was in a lot of pain.

Inga came in to check the bandages every once in a while in stony silence. Genevieve was alright with that. When she'd first arrived at the healer's, having run to the Sullivan hut to change into more comfortable clothes after the duel, she'd caught them in a heated argument that had set Finn's cheeks aflame in anger.

"I don't understand why you can't just stay out of it," he'd said. "I never asked your opinion-"

"You never ask for anything, you always take," Inga had said in a nasty tone. "Therefore, I'm allowed to give my opinion whenever I want, thank you."

"Shoot off at the mouth all you want but you're not going to tell me that Genevieve isn't good for me. You haven't even taken the chance to get to know her because of your jealousy."

"Why would I want to? I'm sure she's interested in you now because of the freedom you offer but once that novelty wears off, she's going to get tired of you and how you're constantly throwing yourself into danger. That's a lot of stress to deal with for a girl like her."

"Stop it."

"Not to mention Maero. When exactly do you plan on telling her about-"

Genevieve had slammed the front door so loudly the pottery rattled on a nearby shelf. She didn't quite know why she'd done it-if it was because of the nasty tone coming from Inga's mouth, the rude things she'd been saying about Genevieve herself, or the fact that the girl was clearly about to hurt Finn further by talking about his painful past. Whatever the case, she couldn't stand it. His secrets being spilled out of spite and Genevieve refused to find out about it in such a way. They were his stories to tell.

The argument had halted and she'd stalked into the room with her chin held high. Inga had the decency to look uncomfortable. It was nothing on Finn though, who shoved his hands into his hair and walked to the other side of the room. But not before Genevieve spotted the blood dotting the bandages around his neck. He'd worked himself into such a tizzy that it was wearing on his stitches, and Inga, for all her healing abilities, hadn't done anything about it. Or perhaps he was so upset and stubborn that he wouldn't allow her to take care of it.

"I can take it from here," Genevieve had said, grabbing the door and holding it open. "I'm sure you have other patients to attend to."

Inga swallowed. "Mara wants me to give a report on his condition when he comes back."

"Good. I'll tell her you were harassing him when she arrives."

Inga's eyes had flashed but she'd stalked from the room, muttering under her breath. It had taken all of Genevieve's self-control to shut the door calmly.

Almost an hour later, she was still stewing in anger. She'd forced Finn into a chair and changed the bandages herself, refusing to cringe at the blood. He'd been quiet, avoiding eye contact. He seemed to be processing everything that had happened, so she'd stayed silent while cleaning him up and then forcing him to lie down when he admitted that he had a headache. Probably from Brandyn clobbering him over the head.

He looked a bit worse for wear. Not as bad as he had after the raid, but pretty close. The left side of his face was a bit swollen. Hopefully he wouldn't have a black eye. Someone must have brought him some new clothes because he was no longer wearing the blood stained blue shirt and jerkin. Now he looked more relaxed in a grey wool shirt with long sleeves. He idly traced a line across his forehead as he stared at the ceiling, as if trying to coax the headache away.

She was grateful for the silence. It was comforting to know that they could sit together without feeling the need to talk, to just be in each other's presence and not feel uncomfortable. After everything that had happened today, and it wasn't nearly over yet, she needed the time to process everything.

The meeting had been interesting to say the least. Clearly many of the Chieftains were on friendly terms with the Haddocks but a few, particularly Allie and Grey, were not. The things Grey had said regarding the Haddock twins had been most interesting. It seemed that all the skirmishes in the Archipelago that had happened in the last twenty years, the Haddocks had been right in the middle of it. It made sense that some would be frustrated at that. But she didn't think the Haddocks went out of their way to cause trouble. Right?

"What are you thinking about?"

Genevieve found him watching her, his face relaxed. He faced her more fully, wincing at the pain in his neck. She shrugged. "The meeting. Some interesting things were said in there. Before Clause Seventeen, I mean."

Finn frowned, as if trying to remember all the details. "Like what?"

"Well…" She shouldn't feel so nervous to ask, since he'd brought it up, but it was difficult. "Particularly your argument with Grey. About your disappearance and ending up on Rune."

"Oh yeah." Finn looked away. He picked up the Sullivan crest lying beside him and flipped it between his fingers, as if he couldn't sit still. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts.

"Look," Genevieve said. "I don't want you to tell me if you're not ready. Frostbite still applies."

"I think the day of using code names is over," he remarked quietly.

Genevieve tried not to feel too shocked or excited by the words. "I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me everything. Or anything for that matter."

"Genni, I… I appreciate that you respect my feelings," Finn said, reaching out and taking her hand. "But… gods, I didn't want to say this here at Mara's. It's like I live here."

Genevieve giggled and squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.

Finn took a long breath, as if he was nervous. "It made sense to keep some things to myself before, when we were still getting to know each other. But now, it's different." His blue eyes locked onto hers and her breath caught in her chest. "I've never had a friend like you. You understand me better than I know myself and sometimes that scares me a little bit, but it's not a bad thing. Quite the opposite, actually."

A blush rose to her face and she found she couldn't hold eye contact for very long. Where did this shyness come from and why did it have to happen now?

Finn sat up with a wince and turned so that his knees were on either side of hers. He took her hands and swiped his thumbs across them with a softness he rarely showed. Most people had probably never seen him do anything so gentle. But she supposed that was his point.

"I don't want to keep my past a secret. Not from you. And there are aspects of it that are… they're a big deal," Finn said. She saw a touch of fear reflected in his eyes. As if afraid that she'd reject him. "But I trust you. I want to trust you. And I would really hate for you to find out from the wrong person, or… by accident."

Because she'd accidentally walked in on his argument with Inga. Genevieve had never heard of a place called Maero before but the way Inga had said it made Genevieve curious despite herself. And the memory of Inga's words, saying that Genevieve couldn't handle him or his past, or that she would tire of him as soon as the novelty of adventure wore off suddenly made her angry. Inga didn't know her. And she cared about Finn too much to be so shallow.

Genevieve straightened in her chair so they were nose to nose. "I'm not afraid of your past, whatever it entails. But I promise you right now that no matter what happens, your secrets will be safe with me. I will never use them against you as a bargaining chip to get what I want."

Understanding flooded his face, recognizing what she meant. Because whatever their relationship, he'd trusted Inga once. And now she was using whatever means to win him back. As if such a mean thing could regain his affection.

She pushed all thoughts of Inga out of her mind when he brushed a curl out of her face. "I can't tell you what it does to me, to see you get overprotective of me."

Genevieve grinned, resting a hand on his arm. "I'm yours and you're mine. Nobody is going to stop that, least of all, Inga."

Finn closed the distance between them, his fingers curving around her neck. The kiss was gentle and sweet and brief. He pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers, and she was stunned to see his eyes full of emotion. "Thank you."

Clearly Inga's betrayal had meant more to him that he'd ever let on. She debated marching out there and giving the girl the tongue-lashing she deserved, but she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. It wasn't her place and she need not waste all her thoughts on the other girl. She was the one privileged to earn Finn's trust. She wouldn't lose it by being petty or stuck up herself.

She remembered Helga's words from months ago about not breaking Finn's trust or she'd find it extremely hard to win it back again. Now she understood what Helga had meant.

"I'd be honored to know your whole story," Genevieve said. She brushed a hand through his hair and he leaned into the touch. "But take your time. You can always tell me more later."

Finn took a deep breath and sighed. "Adrianna was always better at telling stories than me."

"Well she's a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"Right," Finn said. "Well, I'll start at the beginning. It'll be easier if I just start there."

"And when you say beginning…"

He grinned, setting her stomach into a burst of flutters. "My first birthday."

"Oh," Genevieve blinked. "Waaay back then." Finn pinched her waist and she squeaked. "Stop that."

"Alright babe, get comfy," Finn said, sliding backwards until his back rested against the wall. "This is going to take a while."

Smirking, Genevieve crawled across the bed until she was snuggled into his side. He stiffened in surprise for only a moment before throwing an arm over her shoulders. She sighed in contentment at his warmth and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Alright, I'm comfy."

Finn laughed and the sound rumbled through her. He kissed the top of her head and sighed. "Okay, so after my parents got married, they got pregnant with me and Anna pretty quick. Or so we're told. I prefer to not think about the nitty gritty details." Genevieve snorted but he plowed onward. "But apparently it's important because they hadn't even been married for a year when our family went from two to four."

"Quite the growing family."

"Sh, listen to the story," Finn said. "And back then Dagur the Deranged apparently decided to show up and cause trouble, like always. He and my dad always had this rivalry but it only got worse as they got older. Anyway, when my mom was nine months along, she and my dad had this fight. She took a walk to get away for a bit and Dagur kidnapped her."

He said it so flippantly, she almost missed it. Genevieve sat bolt upright, nearly knocking her forehead against his nose. "What?"

"Oh yeah," Finn said. "You saw my dad angry earlier? Apparently he nearly lost it."

Finn launched into a tale of Hiccup and his father, Stoick the Vast and a large gathering of dragon riders rushing to Berserker Island to rescue the heavily pregnant Astrid. He explained how her water had broken while in captivity and Dagur, cruel as he was, hadn't allowed her to see a healer. Hiccup had managed to find and rescue her, but she'd been so far along in her contractions that there wasn't enough time to get back to Berk before she was ready to give birth.

"So we were born on a random speck of land in the outskirts of Berserker territory."

Genevieve slapped a hand to her forehead. "Is that why everyone always jokes to Adrianna about not popping on some random spit of land, like the woods or some gods-forsaken unmanned territory?"

"Yup."

"It would have been nice if someone had told me that months ago," Genevieve said. "The first time Cliff said it I thought it was incredibly rude."

"Yeah, I suppose without context it would seem a bit mean." Finn agreed. "But anyway, that story is important. Remember it. Fast forward a few years…"

He talked for the longest time. He told her the story of Adrianna's kidnapping by their crazy great aunt Trista and how she'd tried to start a war in the Archipelago by setting up Dagur. They'd found Adrianna in the end and Trista had been given to Berserker Island and executed for her treachery. Then Finn jumped to the next big event of their story. He launched into the tale of Dagur the Deranged and the mighty duel Hiccup had narrowly won to save his family from being taken away since they were born in Berserker territory.

Genevieve finally understood the ins and outs of the Haddock family, especially why Hiccup was so overprotective. When Hiccup had been shouting at his kids in anger earlier, there had been key elements of the story that she wasn't yet aware of. She'd been shocked at his ferocity. Boy, did she understand it now.

Once he finished explaining the direct aftermath of the duel, Finn paused. She assumed that he was merely catching his breath but at his wrinkled brow, she realized he hadn't yet mentioned anything about his disappearance and trip to Rune. And Grey had said that was ten years ago. So he would have been seven years old.

Realizing the timeline, she waited. She twisted the leather cords at the V of his shirt while he gathered his thoughts.

"And then everything changed."

"What happened?"

Finn sighed. "My dad was… different, after the duel. He was mean and harsh and… we all hated him. Except Anna, of course."

Genevieve frowned. "Why do you say it like that? Like that's a bad thing?"

"She was his favorite. They understood each other better than I ever did back then. And that's not old bitterness talking, that's just how things were. It strained our relationships because he coddled Anna and didn't talk to the rest of us. Or if he did, he was just… mean."

Genevieve wondered what the rest of the family would say on the matter but kept her thoughts to herself.

"Anyway, things got so bad that my parents fought all the time. I hated being at home. And then one particular argument…" He frowned at his socks. "I don't remember most of it really, I just remember being really angry and… my dad saying he was a murderer."

"From the duel?" Genevieve asked. She sat up at his glum look. "But he wasn't. It's different. It was kill or be killed in a duel to the death, not cold blood. And technically Dagur died by falling off of Toothless-"

"I know that, Gen," Finn said softly, meeting her eyes at last. "But my dad… he's not a killer. He's not like me where... " He exhaled through his nose, as if struggling to find the words. "He'll do whatever it takes to do what has to be done, but his preferred method of combat is with the mind, not the sword. If he has to fight, he fights with Toothless, but Toothless couldn't fight this battle for him. He had to physically do whatever it took to win and when all was said and all was done, he just couldn't handle it. Killing Dagur, nearly dying… he'd crossed a line with himself that he shouldn't have crossed, and he hated himself for it."

"And in his own eyes he felt like a murderer." Genevieve finished. What a horrible thing to go through, and the aftermath, the mental struggles, likely the sleepless nights. Hiccup seemed so strong and unbreakable, but she wondered if that iron will was partially because of those hardships he'd endured.

"So I left."

Genevieve looked up to see him frowning at his lap. "You… left?"

Finn nodded. "I stowed away on Johann's ship. We were halfway to Rune before he realized I was there. We got there and he told me to stay put and he'd send a Terror to my parents. But I had it in my head that I didn't need my family anymore. I was strong enough to take on the world by myself-"

"But you were only seven!" Genevieve said.

"You didn't think I got stubborn as a teenager, did you?" Finn gave her a wry smile and shook his head. "Oh no, I've been stubborn and brash and stupid from the day I was born."

"Don't say that."

"It's true. If I'd just stayed with Johann things would have been fine. Maybe." His brow furrowed. "I don't know. Who knows how it all would have turned out? The entire village was about to remove my dad from his position as Chief-"

"What?"

"Like I said, dark times in the Haddock household. It was no secret we were struggling as a family. Honestly who knows what might have happened?"

Genevieve's mind was reeling. Things had gotten so bad that the village almost took away Hiccup's title? Perhaps she'd judged Finn too harshly. Perhaps he wasn't the only one with dark thoughts about that time period.

She shook her head. "You said 'if you'd stayed with Johann things would have been fine'. That's when you ran away then?"

Finn nodded. "He warned me to stay close but I didn't listen. I had dreams of grandeur to make a better life with no family, no one to tell me what to do." He shook his head in mock amusement. "I lost Johann and eventually ran into this guy named Javan. He said I seemed like a good, strong kid who needed a place to stay until I got my bearings. So he promised me food and lodgings while I figured out my next steps. Naturally it seemed like a good idea, so I went with him."

Genevieve felt a strong sense of foreboding.

"He took me to the shipyard, which was pretty rough looking. Lots of sailors and massive ships, some of them four times the size of the biggest in our fleet." Finn shook his head and slowly met her eyes.

Her heartbeat picked up in her chest. "Pirates?"

Finn shook his head, a strange sort of fear lighting his eyes. "It was a slave ship."

Her breath hitched in her chest. His ears and neck flamed red and he looked away, not only in fear but also in shame. Genevieve stared and waited for that sly grin to rise to his face, for him to say "just kidding" or "gotcha". But he didn't. With every passing moment, his shoulders seemed to slump and that bright blue light in his eyes seemed to dim.

Suddenly, everything made sense. His passion for slaves, to keep the spread of the slave trade from spreading throughout the Archipelago. How he'd likely met Benen, a former slave whom Hiccup had freed. The Fortis necklace that Benen had given him, a symbol of strength. Why he'd panicked in that cave on Hjart and felt so uncomfortable in the stone caverns. Why his back was covered in scars.

Without realizing, her eyes had filled with tears. "You were a slave."

He wouldn't look at her but with each passing second, his eyes turned glassy. "I was just a stupid kid they snatched off the street. Like so many. They dragged me onto the ship and hit me when I tried to fight. They… they branded me like an animal and locked me in chains with a bunch of others beneath the ship. We left Rune behind and…" He rubbed his face and Genevieve fought the shaking in her hands as she rested them on his arm.

"I don't know how long I was on the ship exactly, but the next time I saw daylight I was on another island. It was a place called Maero, far away from here. They lined me up with a bunch of other people." He lowered his hands and shook his head in disgust. "People haggled on prices for people, like they were fighting over a prize horse. It was only when the crowd got more ferocious that…" His voice caught and he swallowed hard. "That Ratri showed up. He was richer than most people, though I honestly have no idea how. He outbid everyone. I didn't know how much I was sold for because I didn't understand Latin, but I knew it was a high price because everyone else looked angry about it. So I went with Ratri."

Tears cascaded down Genevieve's face, her heart burning in her chest in anger and pain as he told her the rest of the story. How Ratri, the disgusting man, had beat a seven-year-old boy enough to cause the skin of his back to split. When he mentioned the scars, she couldn't stay silent.

"I… I know about the scars." Finn gave her a wide-eyed look of surprise and she smiled sheepishly. "Do you remember that one time I went to the loft and you didn't have a shirt on?"

Finn blinked and then gave her a slow smile. "Were you checking me out then?"

"Who walks around without a shirt on?"

"I do all the time! It's your own fault for barging in on me."

"Yeah, yeah," Genevieve said. "Anyway, I was so concerned but I somehow managed to keep my mouth shut. I didn't want to embarrass you."

Finn's amusement faded. "Yeah, thank you for that. If you'd brought it up… well, embarrassed would be a nice way to put it."

Genevieve crossed her legs. "So… then what happened?"

"Well let me think… I guess after one particularly cruel beating, I'd been stubborn all week, but I was quickly getting overwhelmed. I almost broke down." A small smile lit up his face. "And Benen came inside. He was nearly stooped over with age and his skin was so weathered, he had wrinkles everywhere, but his eyes were soft and kind. He helped me off the floor and gave me a hug, and when he pulled away, he pointed at my heart," Finn mimicked the gesture. "And he whispered one word: Fortis."

"Strong." Genevieve whispered.

They were silent for a few moments. Genevieve wiped her face again while Finn was caught up in memories. The sun had long since gone down and she felt the beginnings of hunger, but she wasn't going to stop his story now.

Finn blinked and shook himself. "Things got a little easier after that." He explained that Ratri had wanted him to learn more discipline, so he'd set Finn up with a job at the local mines. When she found out all the horrible things he'd endured there, Genevieve huffed at herself in irritation.

"I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be," Finn shrugged. "How could you possibly know? Even I didn't know I was going to have that sort of reaction."

"I know but I still feel bad."

"Don't worry about it. But anyway, this is where the story gets interesting," Finn said, a strange new excitement in his voice. "Apparently one of the days I was out, my dad and Fishlegs showed up at Ratri's."

Genevieve gasped. "What? No! How is that possible?"

"My dad tracked me down. They found Javan and gave him a piece of their minds and figured out where I was taken. Naturally Ratri wouldn't just give me up or tell them my location, and if they'd just taken me then they'd be in big trouble." At Genevieve's confused look, his excitement withered. "Because slaves are property. It's a legal transaction. To just take me home would have been stealing."

Genevieve's skin turned hot with rage. She could feel the flush rise to her face as she struggled for words. "That's just… they can't just… they're people!"

Finn nodded. "Trust me, no one understands that more than I do. Anyway, it was apparently late so Ratri told them to come back the next day. Fishlegs convinced my dad to set up camp nearby. And I don't quite know what happened because my dad wouldn't tell me, but Fishlegs told me later that my dad had a horrible nightmare that night. Like… really bad, worse than any he'd had before. And for whatever reason, it helped him to stop being so angry and depressed."

"That's… that's interesting," Genevieve said slowly. "What sort of nightmare?"

Finn winced. "Fishlegs wouldn't tell me. And when I asked my dad about the nightmare, he went a little pale and just shook his head. Like he didn't even have words to explain if he wanted to." He crossed his arms and paused. "Actually… huh."

"What?" Genevieve shook his arm. "Don't leave me in suspense! What?"

"After we found out Brandyn was Dagur's son, my dad had a bad nightmare. Like, he woke up screaming kind of thing."

"Oh, that's so sad."

"Well I only mention it because I had the guts to ask him about it and he actually told me. Something about how he'd lost the duel, me and Anna had died, and… and then my mom killed herself."

"Finn, that's…" Genevieve stared. "That's horrible."

"Yeah… I don't know if it was the same nightmare or not, but whatever the case, something changed after that." Finn proceeded to explain that after everything he'd been through, Ratri had left him in a cave and caused a rockslide, trapping him in the dark. And somehow his dad had found him by calling his name and struggling through the dark. After everything that had happened, the relief he'd felt at his dad coming for him had been monumental.

"Wow," Genevieve said. "That is… quite the story."

Finn elbowed her in the ribs. "You're one of the few who knows it."

She smiled. Now she understood his sudden breakdown and discomfort in the caves, and it also explained why Helga, who'd been one of his closest friends for most of his life, had no recollection of it. "So your dad rescued you and I assume bought you back from Ratri?"

"Yes, and Benen. He took us both home and we all apologized to each other. The family grew closer and Benen was finally free after decades of slavery. And for a few years, everything was… everything was really good."

By the tone of his voice, she knew that more devastation was coming. It took a long time of explaining and she did her best not to interrupt, but she soon learned about the sickness that had swept through many of the tribes and taken many lives, including Erick's father, Olaf. It had very nearly claimed Astrid and Finn also while Hiccup and Adrianna had embarked on a journey to find a cure. They'd returned mere hours after Olaf Larson had passed away and Erick had blamed Adrianna for his death.

"They didn't speak for a long time after that," Finn said. "It was a hard loss, losing Olaf. He was a good man." Something in his voice caught Genevieve's attention and she sat up. He looked so depressed.

"Were you close to him?"

"No. But he wasn't the only one we lost after that." Finn took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Once I got better, I volunteered to help dismantle an old barn of some friends'. It had been damaged in a storm and was going to collapse. So Benen went with me to start working on it and my dad planned to meet us there after taking Adrianna to the library."

Genevieve swallowed.

"We went inside the barn and started clearing away debris. And…" His breath hitched in his throat. "All I remember is this creaking sound and being pushed out of the way. There was the sound of crashing and splitting wood. I turned around and… and Benen was buried."

"Oh no," Genevieve clapped a hand to her mouth.

"I dug him out as best I could but when I finally found him…" Finn shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "He'd been impaled. There was nothing we could do for him." Tears splashed down his face, even as he shook his head as if in denial of the event even years later. "The last thing he said to me," he coughed a strangled laugh. "Was that everything was going to be okay and it wasn't my fault. But it was. It should've been me."

Her face wet with tears, Genevieve pulled him into a hug and held him tightly, still aware enough to mind his neck. "No. It might feel that way but he was such a good man and he loved you so much." She pulled back and pressed her hands to the sides of his face, even as more tears slipped down her cheeks. She shook her head and smiled, swiping his tears away with her thumbs. "Now I understand why everyone speaks of him so fondly. He was a hero."

"In so many ways." Finn sniffed and nodded. "As hard as the slavery was… as hard as it still is, it wasn't so bad when he was there. He always had a positive way of looking at things. He always encouraged us to stay humble and be kind." He pushed a curl off her cheek and seemed to be fighting his emotions. "I just wish I could tell him… how grateful I am. That as terrible as slavery was, it was worth it for him. And it's because of him that I know what I want to do in my career, more than just take care of my own people." A new, firm look appeared in his eyes, cutting through the emotion. "I want to free slaves. I want to give them a new life, a fresh start from the horrors they've endured. I want to show them that slavery won't conquer them and that they can be strong too, just like Benen was for me."

A new warmth bloomed in her heart, something unlike anything else she'd ever felt. Seeing his passion for something so selfless and good, it filled her with such joy.

"You will," Genevieve said, nodding. "He knew you were meant for great things, so he wanted to prepare you early. He wanted a hand in shaping this heart of wildfire." She pressed a hand to his chest.

Finn breathed a laugh and tugged on a curl at her shoulder. He bit his lip and gave her a sheepish, awkward smile.

"What?" Genevieve said, lowering her arms.

"See what you did? You made me cry."

"What- I did not. That was all you."

"Ugh," Finn rubbed his face and sharply gasped, briefly touching the bandages encircling his neck. "So after Benen died-"

"Oh my gods," Genevieve said, aghast. "Surely there isn't more."

"Hey, I was thirteen when Benen died," Finn said indignantly. "That gives us three more years of drama! If everyone else can endure it, so can you."

Genevieve sighed and turned her back on him before laying backwards so her head was in his lap. He blinked down at her in surprise before shrugging and twisting his fingers into her hair. She hummed and closed her eyes. "Well go on then, part seven."

Snorting, Finn tried his best to summarize everything that had happened in the years after Benen died. The anger and hate that had built inside him-at himself, at his dad, at Benen for leaving him. How he'd become obsessed with control and identifying strength like a bully would. He even went so far as to admit that he'd manhandled Helga, though he quickly added that he'd apologized later and they'd mended as much of their friendship as they could.

He'd been the leader of a gang that had torn their village apart. It had been months of tricking the council and his own parents, leading them on daring conquests and trashing important parts of the village just to make a statement or prove that he could. He added that a raid from a group of wild dragons had torched a portion of the village and Erick's sister and brother-in-law had been lost in the flames, further putting Erick in a terrible mental state.

Genevieve kept her questions brief but she remembered upon meeting Erick for the first time that he'd mentioned losing his father and sister had both been extremely hard and trying times. She had a feeling that there was more to it than either boy had admitted, but she held her tongue. This was Finn's story, not Erick's.

He'd somehow roped Erick into joining the gang and after nearly killing villagers, including an infant, the gang had backed off. Hiccup had gone nearly berserk. But Finn had still decided to push him and try to get away with one last hit.

"The Great Hall?" Genevieve demanded, looking up at him in shock. "Were you insane?"

"I told you I was stupid."

The gang had been captured and thrown in jail. They'd been caught because Erick snitched. Finn had hated Erick and his parents but he admitted that at the heart of it all, he hated himself more. He explained how he'd busted out of jail and sought out Erick at the mill, and they'd fought.

Genevieve actually let out a small scream when he told her what happened to Erick's foot at the mill. Whatever story she had expected to hear as to what had happened to his leg, she never would have guessed the truth was so gruesome and horrific. Finn didn't go into lengthy details about the immediate aftermath, for which she was quite grateful, but he continued, explaining that he had thought he'd killed Erick and felt the weight of his actions crushing him so much he'd had to run away again. He'd paused only once, seeming to gather his thoughts, before launching into how he'd finally met Ratri again, after eight years, and been tempted to kill him.

"But I remembered Benen," Finn said. "He was always talking about choices, how we make them every day. Some days have some small choices, but others are the crossroads of life. Where the next choice you make will decide your future." He exhaled heavily. "I wasn't in a good place but somehow I remembered Benen and I chose to let him go."

Genevieve felt the tension leave her shoulders. If Finn had murdered the old man, cruel as he was… "Well, I'm glad to hear that you let him go."

"Benen would have wanted me to show him mercy. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. So after that I…" Finn swallowed and took a deep breath, "I went to a tiny island with a cliff and…" He shook his head. "I was so… depressed and alone and I hated myself. I was thoroughly convinced my dad would never let me come home again. My life had little purpose anymore. I sent a message to my parents saying I was never coming home and by the time they found me, it would be too late."

Heart thundering, Genevieve sat up. "You… were going to… but you didn't."

A small smile pulled at his lips, a crackle of humor lighting in his blue eyes. "Obviously. Or aren't you so keen to know that all this time you've been dating a zombie?"

"Finn, that's not funny!"

"You're right, sorry." He said, but that smile refused to fade. "But before I could decide what to do, I heard something."

"What?" Genevieve breathed.

He grinned at how involved she was in the story and feigned a long stretch, wincing at his injuries. "Wow, look at the time-"

Genevieve grabbed the pillow and half-heartedly slapped him in the chest. "Do. Not. Tease me. Fearless Finn."

"Ow, ow, okay! Geez," he laughed. "I heard a cry of pain. Not human, distinctly dragon. And being raised by the man who is my father, I couldn't very well leave a dragon in a trap."

Excited, Genevieve squeezed the pillow to her chest. "Oooh I have a suspicion!"

"Don't spoil the story!" Finn hissed. "So I ran through the woods until I found her: a baby Zap caught in a trap."

"I knew it!" Genevieve cheered. "Was she tiny?"

"Nah, she was about half her size now, under a year old. I freed her from the trap, though she gave me a good zap. Luckily she didn't mean anything by it. That's where her name comes from. But then she sort of… of… this is going to sound insane."

"Try me."

"Well, she sort of told me to go back home."

"Go home?"

"Yeah… some female dragons, when they start ushering their young into the nest, they grab them by the scruff of the neck and carry them away. Well, that's what she did with me. I had a dragonesque conversation and somehow she convinced me that, even if my dad didn't want me back, even if Erick had died, even if my family never wanted to see me again, at least I'd tried."

Finn continued with the story, how he'd come home and Hiccup had tearfully embraced him. He'd been so sure that he'd be kicked out for good and disowned, but the relief at being wrong, at how his father loved him and wanted him to never leave again. Then how he'd had to let Thornado go and then Zap had returned and he'd had to train her.

"Then what happened?" Genevieve breathed. "These stories never have a happy ending for long."

Finn shook his head with a sad sort of smile on his lips. "You don't have to tell me that twice. But really, that's where my story ended until Anna got pregnant. Life was pretty much normal."

"Well," said Genevieve. "I know the story up until there."

"Shame." Finn stared up at her, his soft blue eyes reflecting the candlelight. "Because that's the best part and I wanted to talk about this sexy Hjartan I met."

Genevieve smacked his uninjured shoulder. "Stop it!"

"Her gorgeous brown eyes and her absolutely perfect pink lips and her-"

"Why would you want to talk about her? She sounds awfully dull."

Finn let out a playful growl and pulled her closer. "She's hardly dull. She's fun and witty and smart-"

Genevieve pushed a hand to his lips. "Stop."

With a flash of amusement in his eyes, Finn's tongue darted out and licked the expanse of her hand. Genevieve lurched back with a squeal, wiping her hand on his arm even as he laughed. "You are so disgusting!"

"I don't know," Finn said, giving her a sly smirk. "My tongue has been in far naughtier places."

Heat rose to her face and she looked away, trying to ignore the tingles rushing over her skin as he leaned in and kissed the soft space below her ear. "You're insufferable. But what can I say?" She said when he pulled away just enough for their eyes to meet. "This girl's incredibly dull life only got interesting when a certain Heir to Berk flew into her life."

Finn leaned in closer. "That's the spirit."

Their lips met and they kissed slowly, hands roaming though she was careful not to touch his neck. Still he pulled away after a few short minutes with a hiss. "I'm going to kill Brandyn, not least of which is the fact that I can't move well enough to kiss you properly."

Genevieve bit her lip. "Well I guess I'll have to make up for your loss. Call it a part of your healing process."

"One might call it physical therapy."

"Oh gods."

Finn laughed, the sound reverberating along her bones. He kissed the shell of her ear and pulled away with a sigh. "No but really, this sucks. I'm going to need some sort of tonic for the pain if it doesn't go away soon."

Genevieve nodded. She settled against his shoulder and thought of his story, the Haddock family history. It really was no small affair when Helga and Erick and Cliff had told her to be careful with the questions she asked. She was infinitely glad that she'd heeded their advice, that she hadn't prodded him for information on his past. She wouldn't have been worthy.

But… he'd been a slave. She thought back to the time when they'd sat atop the rock at the cliffside, one of her favorite spots on Hjart, and she'd asked him what it felt like to be free. He'd gotten this strange look in his eyes, something bordering on pain. She'd craved freedom in different ways but oh how her question had likely spoken to him in a way she never could have fathomed. He'd then showed her a world of freedom which gave her opportunity to be herself and to thrive. Now she understood just how important freedom was to him. How he couldn't stand the idea of anyone being locked up against their will, even in the small things.

Genevieve sat up, her eyes sweeping his skin. Finn must have seen her puzzled expression because he asked, "What?"

"You said…" Genevieve pursed her lips, suddenly nervous. "You said they branded you."

Finn's eyes locked on hers. He nodded.

"Where is it?" If she hadn't seen him bare from the waist up before, she might have assumed it was on his chest or his back. But she wasn't prepared for Finn to turn his face to the side and lift up his hair. Her breath faltered at the sight of the curving slavemark that had been burned into the skin behind his temple. His hair fell in just the right way so that it was hidden.

Gingerly she reached up and touched it, the skin rough and scarred. It would have been insanely painful. And he'd only been seven when they'd held him down and done this to him.

She hated the bleak look in his eyes. Genevieve leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his temple, right over the mark. Finn stiffened but when she pulled away, he was looking at her in shock.

"This," she whispered, tracing the mark. "Doesn't define you."

A soft look filled his eyes then, something she couldn't quite define. It was perhaps a mixture of peace and gratitude but it seemed too imploring to simply be that. Before she could put a finger on it, he closed his eyes and dropped his brow to her shoulder. She slipped her arms around his broad shoulders, even as his arms slid around her waist. How long had it been since he'd talked to someone about all of this? It seemed that he'd been able to talk about it with his family on mild terms but not to this extent. Perhaps not since Benen had died.

They sat like that for many minutes until Finn stirred. He carved a line up her neck with his nose, sending goosebumps and tingles across her skin. His blue eyes were stark in the dim room, lit only by candlelight. He gently brushed a curl off her cheek. "I love you, Genevieve Sullivan."

Her heart stopped and started again. Of all the things she'd expected him to say, that hadn't been it.

"You don't have to say it back," he said quietly. "But I've been thinking about it for a long time and this… this whole conversation was the real test. To see if I could tell you about some of the greatest mistakes and horrors of my life and see how you would handle it. I… I didn't think I'd ever find someone who wouldn't chastise or hate me for my mistakes. Or leave because of what I used to be, as a person and as a former slave." He brushed a thumb down her cheek. "I love you, Genni."

Genevieve couldn't help the bright smile. Her heart felt so light and burned with such happiness she felt quite faint. "I'm not saying it back out of obligation. I love you too, Finn. More than I ever thought I could."

Finn smiled then, brighter than any star. He kissed her then, pulling her closer than he ever had before. Or perhaps it felt closer than it ever had been before because their relationship was stronger. He'd entrusted to her all of his secrets and she understood him better. She didn't hate him. In fact she'd seen his journey with clarity and could now see why he was the man he was today, based off his experiences and the people who'd gone on that journey with him. He'd experienced loss and pain greater than most people had in their entire lifetime. And yet he was still kind and passionate and hardworking; he still put himself on the line to protect those he loved; and he wanted to save as many people from slavery as he could while he still had breath.

He loved his family. He loved his people. And he loved her. Somehow she felt like everything that had happened thus far had led them to this moment, and now it was time for a new beginning.

---

Inga stared at the letter and read the lines multiple times, memorizing the exact instructions from Mara and the Chief. She was to send Finn and Genevieve with the armed guard to the Haddock and Sullivan houses, and she herself would take a set of guards to the Larson house with supplies. It would appear to anyone snooping around that she was with the couple at home, keeping an eye on things. People would assume that Adrianna was going to have her baby and Hiccup wanted everyone to "know" where Adrianna was, judging by the healer going in with supplies and the heavily armed guards posted around the entire house.

A decoy. That's what she would be tonight. And by gods, she'd do it to the best of her ability.

Inga gathered up as many supplies as she could and double-checked that her daggers were concealed; one in the inner folds of her vest, the other tucked in her boot. The third at her belt was purely for decoration.

Running through all the things she needed to do, Inga almost forgot the first order of business until she heard a laugh from behind the closed door. She almost groaned. She had to talk to Finn and Genevieve.

In the hours they'd been cooped up in the room, Inga had sat in silence while working, forcing herself not to think about what they might be up to. But it seemed like they were just talking. And more than once, she heard Finn laugh.

She paused in stuffing a wide roll of clean rags in her healer's bag. Finn had laughed. Truly laughed. She hadn't heard him laugh like that in a long time. And perhaps, she thought, it wasn't because he hadn't laughed. Maybe… she swallowed. Maybe she'd been so stubborn and angry and… and jealous… maybe she'd refused to notice. To notice, or care, that he was happy.

A pit of shame yawned beneath her. She sat down in the nearest chair with a thump, frowning at her work supplies.

For so long, she'd tried to get his attention. For a while, it had worked too. All summer long, it seemed like things were going smoothly. They'd been talking and joking, not just bickering. The day she'd run into him in the woods and he'd nearly chopped her in half with his battle axe seemed like eons ago. But that had just been in the summer.

Things had changed so quickly. He'd changed. There had been a spark there, she knew there had. And yet… for some reason, he'd decided not to act on that spark.

She'd been unfair in the way she'd clung to him. Clung to the hope that they'd get together even after he said no. And while it had hurt, he'd been honest. Perhaps there was value in that. She'd let her emotions get the best of her and when she'd found out that he'd found that Hjartan girl… when he'd found Genevieve… it had felt like betrayal.

But truthfully, he'd never promised her anything. She wasn't being fair. Maybe things could have worked out in time but as of right now, he had Genevieve. And he was happy. Maybe down the road if things didn't work out with Genevieve, maybe they could try again?

Inga snorted and rolled her eyes. Wishful thinking. And highly unlikely. She'd seen the way Finn had smiled at her earlier, the way she'd held his hand like he was the very ground she walked on. To have such a stable relationship… maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Sure, it still hurt. Sure, she still wanted to be with him deep down. But she'd finally realized the error of her ways when Genevieve had caught her in the argument with Finn. The anger written on the Hjartan girl's face had been justified, based on the things Inga had said to him. About him, about his relationship with Genevieve… and about Genevieve's own character.

She had no right.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Inga gauged the time by the shifting darkness outside and hurried to gather the last few items to take to the Larson house. She needed to hurry.

After some great length of time bustling around and straightening things however, Inga knew she was stalling. The family wanted Finn and Genevieve to be at their houses before nightfall and she needed to get to the Larson's. She'd wasted enough time.

So squaring her shoulders, Inga stalked to the door and knocked loudly. The conversation on the other side of the door faltered. There was a rustling and then Genevieve opened the door, looking a little ruffled perhaps but still rather put together. Inga's stomach churned, hoping as Finn straightened his shirt that they hadn't been deep in the throes of passion whilst-

"Yes?" Genevieve asked. Her dark eyes darted to the table behind Inga and she added, "Is it Adrianna?"

"Has she had the baby yet?" Finn demanded.

"No," Inga said, and she quickly explained what they were supposed to do next. "We need to leave quickly. They're expecting us."

Finn scowled, sliding to the edge of the bed. "Why aren't they letting you come to my place?"

Inga looked at Genevieve, who looked at her as well. "Oh, do you mean me?" Genevieve asked him in surprise. "Or Inga? She's a healer, after all."

"Oh," Finn blushed. "I… Uh, well both."

Inga rolled her eyes. "Because I'm the decoy. If Brandyn or any of his cronies go sniffing around, they'll find Erick and Anna's house heavily guarded with me and Cliff's mom inside. They look so alike, they're nearly identical. Giving every Haddocks' absence tonight, it won't take long for them to figure out what's going on. The whole family won't go into mourning just because you got a boo-boo."

She expected Genevieve to scowl or have a retort, but instead she snorted. She gathered up her sweater that had fallen on the floor and put it on. "Indeed. Brandyn's smart. He'll figure out she's having the baby soon enough. And as for me," she added to Finn. "If I was Adrianna, I wouldn't want extra ears listening in while I'm giving birth."

"No, you would not." Inga agreed. "I'll grab my stuff and then we need to go. Actually, how are your bandages?"

"I'm fine," Finn said as he stood. "Honest. If I need anything I'll ask… uh, whoever is available."

"That would be your dad or Lara Larson."

"Oh… great."

Genevieve giggled and took his arm while they walked to the door. Inga eyed his stiff movements, noting how he seemed to walk a bit gingerly. She wondered if that was from the kick he'd taken to his stomach or general soreness.

She shoved aside her analytical thoughts and grabbed her bags before following them to the door. Then as Genevieve grabbed the handle, she blurted, "Wait."

They turned with equal looks of surprise.

"About earlier…" Inga said, face heating. Gods, what was she doing? She hadn't thought this through, curse her blunt, brash tongue. Even now as she floundered with what to say, Finn stiffened, a warning look in his eyes. Yet Genevieve leveled a cool look back at her, waiting patiently for her to speak. She swallowed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things."

She met Finn's eyes and that's when she saw it. That warning look morphing into something sad and hurt. Her desired romance with him aside, they had been friends. For a long time, longer than she'd ever had a crush on him. And she'd hurt him.

Despite herself, her eyes burned. "I'm sorry. I had no right."

A warm smile pulled at Genevieve's face, but she said nothing, instead turning those dark midnight eyes up at Finn. He looked wary, cautious. No doubt stubbornly trying to think of a way to kick her to the curb without invoking the wrath of his girlfriend.

At long last, he swallowed and dipped his chin. Inga blinked in surprise. Though he said nothing, she watched as the caution cleared from his expression and he gave her a small smile. She'd thought he'd say something, say lots of things. He truly had changed. Things were different now. And maybe some of those changes were because of the girl standing beside him.

Genevieve held out a hand. "Start over?"

Inga stared at the thin fingers being extended. She searched for any sign of anger in Genevieve's eyes and came up empty. So with a smile of her own, she shook her hand. "I'd like that."

A small smile tugged one side of Finn's face as he watched. For some reason, it looked like an expression of pride.

Genevieve nodded, then unabashedly took his hand. "Well, we really should go if they're expecting us. Before His Majesty falls asleep on the threshold."

"Hey," Finn's blue eyes darted away from Inga to Genevieve. "I'm not tired."

"Please," Inga said, despite the tide of emotions locked in her chest. "You've already had one all-nighter and you're about to have a second. Go home and get some sleep while you can, Finn." She smirked. "You're about to be an uncle."

His expression melted into surprise and Inga found herself laughing with Genevieve.

"Come on, let's go." Genevieve said, opening the door and pulling him outside. "See you later, Inga."

Inga followed but remained on the porch, taking a minute to catch her breath, steady her emotions. Finn didn't give people second chances often but that look he'd given her, that dip of the chin… she knew his tells, his language, how he spoke. Maybe he wasn't going to have a lengthy argument about it but she knew what that little look meant. He forgave her.

Inga knew she didn't deserve it with how rotten she'd been as of late. But she resolved to do better. She couldn't live in anger and bitter jealousy forever. She had to move on and be happy. She was too young and awesome to let such a thing ruin her life.

Not to mention she'd barely spoken two words to Alton for weeks. He was set to return to the high seas with Johann soon. She needed to apologize to him too, make amends before he was gone and wouldn't return until the peak of summer.

She had many things to do but for the first time in a long while, Inga faced them with a clear head. And as she watched Finn and Genevieve disappear into the darkness hand in hand amongst their band of armored guards, she felt something in her heart loosen, and with a blink and a smile, she let him go.

---

Mara had said walking around would make things easier. She'd said it would speed up the process, that gravity would help the baby come out faster. Well Adrianna wanted to tell Mara to take that advice and stuff if where the sun didn't shine because it had been hours and she'd barely made any progress.

At first, with a calming tea and a comfortable bed, she and Erick had actually managed to fall asleep. When they woke, it was dusk. This would have been much better in the middle of summer, when the sun didn't descend into the horizon until late into the evening, but in late winter, it just made the night seem eternally longer. Then Mara had checked Adrianna's progress again and declared that things hadn't progressed very much.

"These things take time," Mara had said at her groan.

"Easy for you to say," Adrianna grumbled, sitting up so that she rested against the backboard of the bed. "You've never given birth."

"You're right," Mara agreed. "I'm not going to pretend I know what you're going through, Anna. But you need to be patient. Stressing over how long it takes will only make the seconds tick by slower. If you want to speed up the process, walk around and let gravity do the work."

And so she had. Adrianna and Erick had circled the room over and over and over, stopping every few minutes as the pains came back once again.

"Ugh this is ridiculous," Adrianna said through gritted teeth as yet another pain finally ebbed. "It feels like it's been hours and it's only been like ten minutes!"

Erick glanced out the window at the moon rising high into the night sky. "Do you want me to close the curtains?"

Adrianna considered this for a moment. "No," she said at last. "I want to know the time. I just hate that it's going so slowly."

"Well, you're doing amazingly. You really are." Erick brushed her bangs out of the way and kissed her forehead.

"Ha," Adrianna scoffed. "I haven't done anything yet."

"Yes you have," Erick said. "You've had a long hard day and you haven't fallen to pieces. You stood up to Brandyn and Allie in the Great Hall, you even went to the duel, and when your water broke you stayed calm. That's amazing."

Adrianna felt a rush of affection for her husband. She couldn't imagine doing this alone. "Well it helps that I have such a faithful husband to hold my hand."

Erick beamed and kissed her forehead chastely. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sliding her arms around his waist, Adrianna pressed her face into his neck. He rubbed his hands up and down her spine and she hummed at the pressure, the warmth. "Imagine if I'd made it to Bog after all. I'd have random people that I don't know helping me. I wouldn't have my parents. I wouldn't have you."

Erick shrugged. "I don't really know what I'd do in your situation, so I'm not sure I can blame you." He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "I'm so glad you came back, Annie. I was so scared that something would happen to you and the baby." He pulled her even closer.

Adrianna felt a pang that had nothing to do with the baby. Guilt clawed at her insides. What she'd put Erick through was nothing short of torture. She remembered well sitting in his room after he'd lost his foot while he was still unconscious. She'd spent so much time crying and pleading with the gods to let him live.

Gods, she loved him so much. How could she ever have gone on a single date with Brandyn when a part of her had always known that she and Erick had something between them that she couldn't share with anyone else? If she'd seen it sooner, she wouldn't be hours away from giving birth, she might not even be in this situation for a few years at all, and she would be giving birth to his own flesh and blood instead of his adopted child.

The fact that he was willing to give all that up with someone new, the fact that he did any of this by choice...

He must have read the unspoken words on her face because he pulled away. "Hey now, none of that." Erick ran his fingers through her hair. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"How did you-"

"I can always tell when your thoughts go dark because your lips start to pucker," Erick said. A small smirk rose to his face and he added, "I have to keep my lips to myself when you do that, but maybe if I didn't then it would be another way to help you think happy thoughts-"

Adrianna pushed him in the chest, though she couldn't help the smile. "Ach, you spend too much time with Finn."

Erick grinned and steered her down the hall with an arm around her waist. "Do you want a rest?"

Adrianna stared at the bed inside the room, at all the healer supplies lying in wait for the baby's arrival. Yes, she dearly wanted a rest. From this pregnancy, from the pains, from the stupid Convocation, from the guilt over what she'd done and what she'd let other people do to her…

"No," she said. "I can keep going."

"Why don't you go downstairs?" Mara asked, entering the hall. "As long as you're careful on the stairs. You're not far enough along yet that there's risk of not making it upstairs again."

Adrianna gazed down the stairs and nodded. "Good idea. Perhaps gravity will work doubletime."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Erick said hastily before folding her arm to his chest and leading her down the stairs.

She felt a bit ridiculous, walking downstairs in the thin shift Mara had asked her to put on beneath her favorite fluffy robe. With her hair piled high atop her head and her feet bare, she felt quite out of sorts by comparison to her usual attire. But she supposed she was quite comfortable in the getup-

As they neared the bottom of the stairs, the pain hit her sharply and she gasped. Erick held her arms through it all, even as she panted and gritted her teeth through it. Second after second passed and still the pain raged-

"Oh my goooooooods-" Adrianna hissed into Erick's shoulder.

"Maybe we should go back upstairs-" she heard him say through the pain but she clutched his arms, unable to move an inch, let alone go back up stairs. Insufferable men and their stupid conceptions of being able to move at a time like this!

Finally it banked, the pain slowly ebbing to a dull throb. Adrianna took a few long deep breaths. "Oohhh that was a big one."

Erick expression was nothing short of concerned. "Let's go back upstairs."

"N-No, I'm okay. I'm okay. Gotta keep moving."

"Annie-"

"Erick, I'm fine," she insisted, gingerly dropping off the last step and starting into a gentle walk. "I'll take a few minutes around and then we'll go back."

Mara tromped down the stairs with Astrid a moment later, both watching with concerned looks. Adrianna ignored them, allowing Erick to lead her around the room. She fought a flare of temper. All of them watching her like a bunch of mother hens was getting a bit frustrating-

Without warning the front door burst open with a bang, narrowly missing Erick. The biggest mother hen of them all had finally arrived. Her daddy was out of breath, snow clinging to his hair, but he smiled at the sight of his daughter and son-in-law.

"Everything okay?" he asked through deep breaths. "Can I get you anything?"

Adrianna sniffed. "You can sit down before you pass out."

"Wow, that never occurred to me," Hiccup deadpanned back. "Seriously Addie, if you need anything, I can go-"

"Sit. Down." Adrianna gestured to a nearby chair, where Hiccup reluctantly sat. "I have everything I need and more than enough people pestering me. If you stay wound up like this the entire time, you're going to-" Her breath hitched in her chest. She tried to fight it but soon she was clutching her belly, forgetting the sights and sounds of where she was. The only thing she could think was how soon this contraction was compared to the last one.

Sweat was on her upper lip when it finally passed enough for her to see her surroundings again. She couldn't remember squeezing her eyes shut. She also didn't recall her dad disobeying her orders to sit down by taking up a spot at her side opposite of Erick, gently rubbing her back while her husband held her hands tightly. Hiccup opened his mouth but Erick silenced him with a look, probably because she'd snipped at him half an hour earlier for talking while she was concentrating on breathing.

"I'm okay," she said when she felt like speaking again. She'd gotten used to saying this after every contraction because if she didn't, Erick would fuss. The stress would wear him out regardless of what had been going on over the last few days, but she suddenly remembered that he'd spent most of the night looking through the laws with Finn. Despite the nap they'd taken a while ago, dark smudges were beneath his eyes. "You should get some rest, babe. You were up all night."

"It wasn't all night." Erick brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear. "And besides, I got a few winks earlier. You'll be up all night tonight; I'm not going to just crash while you're having a baby."

"It's fine." Adrianna patted his chest with her hand. "We'll wake you when things progress but I really don't want you falling asleep while I'm giving birth-

"As if that's even a remote possibility," Erick interrupted.

"And you know I went to bed early last night," Adrianna interrupted. "One night of no sleep isn't going to finish me off."

Erick opened his mouth to argue, closed it, then looked imploringly at Hiccup. As if he expected Hiccup to insist he stay by her side all night long. She felt a rush of irritation. Was he really asking her dad to side with him instead of listening to her?

To her immense satisfaction, Hiccup said, "She's right. Listen to your wife, Erick. You were up all night helping Finn and now you're going to be up most of the night helping Addie. Get some shut eye while you still can."

"But the contractions are progressing-" Erick argued.

"And we'll wake you up if anything happens," Hiccup said. "I promise."

Erick looked like he wanted to argue but Adrianna forced him to meet her eyes. "Erick, you're exhausted. There's nothing to do right now, we're still just waiting. They'll come and get you when things pick up. But I want you to be wide awake when our baby is born."

He didn't seem to like it but the last words made a small, begrudging smile rise to his face. He sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll crash in Cliff's room." He turned firm teal eyes on Hiccup and the women present. "But the second anything happens-"

"You'll know about it, son." Lara said primly from an armchair where she'd been folding laundry.

Hiccup stiffened at the sight, no doubt wondering why Lara Larson was folding his family's laundry and discomforted at some particular garments.

Adrianna snorted and gently pushed Erick toward the stairs. "Go, I'll be fine."

Before she could move him a step, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her firmly. She blinked in surprise. Very rarely did he kiss her like this in front of other people, let alone her family.

It was brief, however, and he brushed her hair out of her eyes when he pulled away. "I love you."

Adrianna couldn't help the smile. "I love you too, babe."

He gave her a warm smile before pulling away and trotting up the stairs, likely forcing himself to take every step because his instincts told him to stay put. But he didn't stop, respecting their wishes to lie down for a while until things were farther along.

Still, when her old bedroom door snicked shut upstairs and the house was strangely quiet amongst all these people, she felt a bit strange. Like a piece of her was missing. But she didn't have long to ponder it because another shooting pain rose up from the depths of her belly and she inhaled sharply through her nose as she grabbed her belly.

"It's okay," her dad said, leaning her against the back of the couch and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Just breathe, baby."

Adrianna clenched her jaw and vaguely registered pressing her brow into his armored shoulder, barely felt his other arm come around her shoulders to hold her close. Gods it was agony, sharp and unending, and it wasn't just in her belly like she'd always assumed, it was in her back and hips too.

She was just about to shout for Erick to forget it and come back downstairs and she stubbornly clamped down on the desire. He couldn't do anything for her any more than the others could. Finally the spell broke and she could breathe again, and despite herself she could feel the prick of tears rising in each breath.

"It just keeps getting worse," she said, the pitch of her voice rising. She swallowed hard, trying to push it back, to remove the emotions from the equation, but she'd never been good at doing that. Still, no amount of preparation had been good enough for this. And it was still just the beginning. The pains were only now just worsening. "I'm not ready for this, I'm not-"

"Hey," Hiccup said, cupping her face in his scarred, calloused hands and swiping the tears away with his thumbs. "Nobody is. None of us were ready when it was our turn, even Lara I bet wasn't prepared for her first."

Lara scoffed across the room, folding what suspiciously appeared to be a pair of men's undershorts. "Heavens, no. I was stubborn and I prepared in every possible way that I could, but all the books and wisdom and stubbornness in the world won't prepare you enough."

"That's not very helpful," Adrianna said.

"No," Lara agreed, lowering her arms for a moment and looking her dead in the eyes. "But it doesn't matter because when you hold your first baby for the very first time, it makes every single bit of pain and worry and fear all the more with it."

Adrianna still felt afraid but she nodded all the same. That was the best hope she could have going forward. Lara resumed her folding with an approving nod and Hiccup straightened, finally realizing-

"Lara, can you-" He faltered when the woman's eyes darted up sharply. "Perhaps… not… fold those?"

The Larson matron rolled her eyes and clucked her tongue. "Honestly Hiccup, you've fought dragons and all manners of filthy human beings tooth and nail since you were fifteen years old and yet you shy away from a woman folding your skivvies? Get a hold of yourself, man."

Hiccup's face slowly flushed in embarrassment as Adrianna, her mom, Mara, and even Lara clucked with laughter. Adrianna's giggles rose to full out cackles when he scowled down at her.

"You… you…" Adrianna couldn't breathe. Despite the echoes of pain ravaging her insides, she quickly felt tears of mirth rising in her eyes. "You're so awkward!"

"Astrid," Hiccup said stiffly. The green of his eyes was quite the contrast with the redness of his face. "Why is Lara Larson folding our clothes?"

"Because I happened to mention I hate folding and she volunteered," Astrid shrugged in a no-nonsense sort of way. "It seemed like a simple solution and next time she needs firewood chopped, I'm coming over."

"Doesn't she have sons for that?"

Astrid drew herself up taller. "I have a son and he doesn't chop the wood. I do!"

"Well maybe he should-"

Adrianna sighed and pulled him into a walk around the kitchen table. "Let's not launch into semantics about the roles between men and women, please."

"Hey, this all got started because Lara's folding mine and Finn's-"

"Skivvies, yes, Chief," Lara drawled. "We all wear them. We all have butts. What's the big deal?"

Adrianna snorted into another round of giggles when her father sputtered. "This has to be the weirdest argument we have ever ha-ahhhh!"

Mara was instantly at her side as she doubled over, clutching her belly. "Alright, I think gravity has done its work for now. Let's get upstairs and check your progress."

"Uh huh." Adrianna said, following her toward the stairs. Astrid took Hiccup's spot, much to his dismay, but Adrianna didn't spare anyone another glance as they took her upstairs. It was slow, painful work and she gritted her teeth the entire time, but she sighed happily when she finally sat back down on the bed upstairs.

Or at least, she was happy for about two seconds before the pain registered again and she moaned, smothering her face with a pillow. "Oh gods, how long until this is over?"

"Soon, love," Mara said, patting her knee. "Soon."

---

Hiccup paced the entire expanse of the lower house for what felt like hours while the sounds of Adrianna's pain and discomfort wafted down the stairs. They hadn't woken Erick up yet so it couldn't be that far along. Her body was just adjusting more for… for…

With a long sigh, he shoved his hands into his hair. Gods, it felt like it was yesterday that Astrid had been giving birth to their babies and now one of them was doing the same. How did time fly so fast?

"Perhaps you should sit down," Lara said. "Before you either wear a hole through the floor or tear your hair out. Both would be horrible to be honest, the floors here are nice and you always did have nice hair."

Hiccup dropped his hands. "Folding my undies and giving me compliments, Lara? I didn't realize we had such an intimate relationship."

She clucked with laughter, even as he shook his head and went to the kitchen to make coffee. It wasn't going to be a long night and he planned to be awake for all of it. Luckily, he had plenty of Hjartan coffee beans leftover from Snoggletog.

"Do you drink coffee, Lara?" Hiccup asked, trying to gauge how much to make.

"I do," Lara said, at last finishing the large basket of laundry and folding her hands. "But I prefer espresso."

Hiccup raised a brow. "Espresso?"

"You haven't had it? Oh, well I will make some." Lara hopped up from her seat and joined him in the kitchen, pulling down bowls and a coffee bean grinder from shelves as if she owned the place.

Hiccup hopped onto the countertop as he watched her work, marveling at the fine grounds, the hot water she poured over them minutes later, and the very small glasses she'd found. They were his father's years ago, a matching set of small, fine glasses that were used for strong shots of alcohol, but given that he and Astrid weren't too keen on alcohol consumption, he supposed they'd been shoved into some corner. How Lara had found them was beyond him.

"Now," Lara said a few minutes later and handing him a steaming glass. "It's not like normal coffee. It's stronger, packs more of a punch despite its size. So don't drink it all in one go."

"Hey, I like a challenge."

Lara shrugged. "Your funeral."

"Pft," Hiccup glanced upstairs at the sound of Adrianna's whimpers. He clutched his tiny glass of steaming espresso and frowned at the frothy foam gathered at the top. "I wish I could help her."

Lara pursed her lips and nodded, sipping from her own glass. "She's strong. She'll be alright. Erick too. They've both been through so much, but they're stronger because of it." She narrowed her eyes. "Because of you, they're stronger."

"We all played a part."

"Well yes," Lara said. "But one way or another, all of us gave up on them a little bit. Depending on the day or the time or the circumstance. But you never did. They both turned out quite well considering, and without you, I fear they wouldn't have."

The words meant more to him than he could admit. Hiccup didn't want to take all the credit, especially since Astrid also had never lost hope in any of their kids. But he nodded. "I hope you're right," he said at last. "That she'll be alright, I mean. She's been through so much and if something goes wrong today…" He adjusted his grip on the glass, his palms sweaty. "I don't know what I'll do. For either of them if something happens."

Lara gave him a flat look. "Stop worrying. Everything will be alright and come tomorrow morning, you'll all be smiling bright and happy, and I'll try my best to avoid saying 'I told you so'."

Hiccup huffed a laugh. She was right, of course. How strange was it that after all those years of animosity and arguments, they were now having coffee while his daughter was upstairs close to giving birth? That she had offered to do anything for Astrid, even folding laundry, to give her space and clearance, to not worry about household chores so she could focus on their daughter?

Sure, the road had been bumpy. But Hiccup at last understood Lara Larson. That where she loved and cared, it was deep and true, and no sacrifice was too great, no task too small or menial. She'd do anything, be anywhere, and she'd go down defending those she loved.

And when it came to say goodbye, to let go of those she loved… of course, it was unbearably difficult.

"Thank you, Lara," Hiccup said. She met his gaze with a slight frown, as if she knew that he'd come to a conclusion at last. She never would be a smiling, effervescent person, but she was loyal. Just like Erick. "I hope you know that you're always welcome here. Our kids are married. We're family now."

Lara sniffed, a cool look of amusement on her face as she raised her espresso to her lips. "I would have thought Astrid gave me that status when she allowed me to fold all your clothes, but I'll take the formal speech."

The door opened behind them as Hiccup exhaled heavily in mild annoyance. Ignoring Lara's laugh, he pivoted in time to see Finn close the door.

"Hey kiddo," Hiccup hopped down from the counter and met him across the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, tired." Finn said, raising a hand to greet Lara. He didn't elaborate but he did indeed look tired, both physically and…

Hiccup cocked his head. "Everything okay with Genevieve?"

"Huh?" Finn asked, meeting his eyes. "Oh yeah, yeah she's fine, we're good. Why?"

Hiccup couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason Finn looked drained emotionally. His skin was blotchy, eyes slightly red. That could be symptoms of his all-nighter and exhaustion from the duel, but he didn't think so. He opted to stay silent though and just observe however, not with Lara around. Folding skivvies and sharing coffee was one thing, but grilling his son in her presence would not a happy Fearless Finn make.

"Never mind," Hiccup said, slinging an arm around his shoulders and steering him into the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Well let's see what we can find then!" Lara said, bustling to the ice box. "And Hiccup you'd better drink that coffee before it settles and gets cold."

"Oh yeah," Hiccup said, raising the glass to his lips.

"Why…" Finn frowned. "Why is Lara… cooking?"

"Just play along." Hiccup said before knocking back the entire glass of espresso. His eyes bugged and he swallowed hastily at the highly concentrated coffee, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a sharp breath. "Wooow."

"Uhh you okay?" Finn asked, sounding quite concerned.

"Whew…" Hiccup opened his eyes and shook his head to clear it. He inspected the empty glass with surprise. "She wasn't kidding. Espresso is strong stuff."

Finn blinked. "Gen mentioned espresso once. Apparently Thuggory goes nuts on the stuff. Like, he doesn't stop talking kind of nuts. I hope-"

Lara emerged from the icebox holding biscuits, bacon and eggs. She paused at the counter, frowning at Hiccup and the empty glass. "You drank it all at once, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I forgot and it was getting cold, and you weren't kidding it's really strong, I wasn't expecting it to be that highly concentrated-"

"Oh Lara, what have you done?" Finn sighed, idly rubbing his neck.

"What are you talking about?" Hiccup asked. "I feel amazing!"

"Yes, your pupils are dilated," Lara said drily before setting the items on the counter. "Ever had eggs benedict?"

"No ma'am," Hiccup said, taking the stool beside his son and watching her pull more bowls onto the counter. "What are eggs benedict?"

"Yes, we h-" Finn froze, mid-sentence as if remembering something. "Uh no, never mind. I was thinking of something else." He awkwardly avoided eye contact, which Hiccup thought strange, but who was he to question?

Thoughts seemed to be spinning through Hiccup's mind faster than he could process. He watched as Lara began putting a strange egg and bacon and biscuit dish together but didn't seem to realize that he was drumming his fingers on the countertop in time with the bobbing of his prosthetic on the floor until Finn slowly looked over his shoulder with an increasingly murderous look in his eye.

"Note to self," Lara said. "If we want Hiccup to do his Cliff impersonation, just give him espresso."

"Please do not invoke the name of that person," Finn said. "He'll come running and then we'll really be in trouble. I doubt Anna would like that very much. How is she by the way?"

"Coming along nicely," a voice said and Hiccup turned to see a beautiful angel stalking down the stairs. Astrid flipped her braid over her shoulder and stalked to the counter. "She's dilated four centimeters. We'll probably wake up Erick relatively soon. Once we get past four, things start to move quicker."

Finn seemed to quail under the words, even as Lara nodded.

Hiccup, on the other hand, stared in wonder at his wife and smiled broadly when she threw an arm around his shoulders.

"How was the last meeting?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup took a deep breath. "Well initially it started with many arguments about the duel because people thought it was unfair that Brandyn cheated twice in the duel, which I agreed with, but honestly what can anyone do because it is what it is and cheating or no, Brandyn won by first blood so there's no point in going back and forth over it and then we started discussing-"

"Whoa, Hiccup!" Astrid said, throwing up her hands with a look of concern. "Slow down, what's wrong with you? Are you that stressed?"

"More like under the influence," Finn scoffed.

"I know what too much booze looks like with your father, Finn, and if he was drunk, he'd be trying to schmooze me and probably burst into tears the moment I told him I'm already married. Now what did you two give him?"

"Espresso."

Astrid's blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "More coffee?"

"It's highly concentrated, Astrid!" Hiccup said, unfazed by the fact they were talking about him like he wasn't there. He felt great! "It's from darker coffee beans ground into an almost fine powder and with hot water, then it's brewed into a really smooth, hot drink that's absolutely fantabulous!"

Astrid sighed.

"Next he'll be saying he can see sounds and hear colors," Finn snickered.

Lara cleared her throat to cover up a laugh but the rise of color to her cheeks was a dead giveaway.

"This isn't funny," Astrid remarked. "Your sister doesn't feel well-"

"Hey I don't feel well either," Finn whined, pointing at his neck.

"Oh silence, you impudent male and eat your eggs benedict," Lara said, sliding a plateful of food toward him. "Until you have yourself a womb and can birth children yourself-"

"I," Finn said loudly, standing and grabbing his plate and fork. "Am going to eat my eggs benedict over there."

"That would be wise," Lara said. She turned to Astrid and added, "Don't worry. It won't last long."

"Good," Astrid said, running a hand through Hiccup's hair and sending a tingle down his spine. "Because we need dad to focus."

"Oh I am focused. I am so focused, my eyes are going crossed."

"I think I might just sleep in the barn tonight."

"Finn, shut up and eat your eggs!"

---

Hours had to have passed. Adrianna wasn't really sure. The only thing she could really do anymore was lay on her left side and count the minutes between each pain that clutched her body. Mara checked her progress more and more often as time went on, humming or making light comments of approval. She kept Astrid informed, who kept everyone downstairs informed, but Adrianna paid little attention to these things.

She just wanted it to be done and over with. She wanted to ask if they knew what time it was, but she was afraid if she asked they would say it had only been an hour. That she still had all night to go. The thought was enough to nearly undo her but she stubbornly refused to give in. Even though she longed for it to be finished, she knew it wasn't time yet. She had a feeling that she'd know when it was time.

Still, as the pain increased and the time between them shortened, it became increasingly more difficult to keep the moans of pain locked up inside. Finally, after what felt like eons, she asked Mara what time it was.

"Judging by the moon," Mara said tiredly from her seat by the window. "It has to be nearing three in the morning."

Adrianna's eyes flew open. "What?"

Mara simply nodded.

Rolling halfway onto her back, Adrianna pressed a palm to her forehead. "We've been in here… for almost twelve hours?"

"That's completely normal-"

"Don't- stop, Mara. I don't want to hear another word about how this gods-freaking experience is completely NORMAL!" Adrianna roared suddenly, heat rising to her face. She wanted to be done, she wanted this to be over.

Astrid marched into the room just as Adrianna covered her face, trying to fight the tears as another wave of pain overcame her. "Adri, you just have to stay calm. It will all be over soon-"

"I don't want it to be over soon, I want it over now!"

"Do you want me to get Erick?"

The question was gentle and calm, taking her by surprise. Adrianna lowered her hands and nodded, hating the sniffling and the tears. Even now she had to cry about it like a big baby-

"Shh don't cry," Astrid said, wiping her face. "I'll go get him, just hold on." She was gone in moments.

Adrianna bit down on her emotion, refusing to give it another inch. "I'm sorry, Mara."

Mara laughed and gently patted her knee. "Oh don't you worry, love. You're not the first to yell at me in such circumstances."

Adrianna's laugh turned into a blubbering wet mess when Erick appeared, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Even though she'd really been fine without him and the sleep was good for him since he appeared well rested than before, she tried not to burst into tears at the sight of him.

He kneeled down at her side as Mara excused herself, stating she needed more tea. She and Astrid left them alone as Erick surveyed her condition.

"Hey," Erick said, his voice a little groggy. "You okay?"

Unable to form the words, Adrianna shook her head. She gripped his hand when he moved to push stray hairs out of her eyes, even as tears replaced them.

"I'm not ready," she said. "I-I thought I was ready and I'm not, I don't want to do this-"

"Hey," Erick slid an arm around her shoulder. "You're going to be okay." He smoothed the hair back from her brow in slow, soothing movements that helped her relax despite her emotions. "We're going to get through this, I promise."

"It hurts."

"I know, but I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere. Rest now." He kissed her forehead and pulled away.

Adrianna's eyes slipped closed. She heard the sound of splashing water and then a cool towel rested on her forehead. She hummed in surprise and relaxed even as he continued brushing her hair back and dabbing her forehead.

"A mommy, Annie," he whispered. "You get to be a mommy today."

She cracked her eyes open to see his warm smile and felt one tug at her own lips. "That sounds nice." She slid a hand up his wrist, too tired to do anything else. She snuggled back into her pillow and that thought became a mantra that circled her mind in the coming hours.

---

Finn didn't know what time he'd fallen asleep on the couch, but he awoke to a multitude of sounds. Excited voices, movement, crashing footsteps on the stairs, even the front door opened once.

He sat up on his elbows and shook off the exhaustion, trying to piece together what was going on, why he was on the couch, and why his neck hurt so much-

Then a girl's sharp cry echoed down the stairs.

Adrianna.

He rolled to his feet, suddenly wide awake. His dad stood at the foot of the stairs, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides, looking for all the world like he was about to march up there.

"Dad?"

Hiccup turned around, face grim. He swallowed. "It's time."

Finn felt a lurch of terror in his stomach. "Like… right now?"

"Yes." Hiccup looked back up the stairs as she cried out again. "She's almost ready, your mom just told me."

Finn glanced out the nearest window. The sky was pale in color, darkness fading by the minute. Dawn. That meant she'd been in labor for around twelve hours. Gods, women were by far the stronger gender. He'd never make fun of a girl again.

"So…" He swallowed when his dad met his eyes. "Now what?"

Hiccup turned away, hands in his hair.. "Now we wait."

---

Erick had lost track of time hours ago. Not that he'd ever thought too hard about child-birth in his young nineteen years of life (aside from the last year, of course), but he had no idea what sort of experience it would be.

Both terrifying… and thrilling.

Of course, sitting beside Adrianna on the bed, holding her hand while she fought through the pain was more terrifying than anything. But when Mara and Astrid advised him to lean forward to see what was happening, at first he balked. But Mara gave him an understanding smile and waved him forward again.

Gulping, he obeyed, and for as long as he lived, he'd knew never forget what he saw next.

"Is that…"

"The baby's head," Mara said proudly. "Yes."

Adrianna let out a wail. "No no no, make it stop-"

"Baby, there's no stopping it now." Erick said, holding her hand tight. His heart pounded in his chest so hard he thought it would burst.

"Anna, it has to be now." Mara said in a firm voice. "Deep breath-"

Tear tracks stained Adrianna's face as she shook her head. "I can't-"

"Yes you can, Annie, yes you can!"

"Deep breath, Adri-"

Somehow, perhaps by some instinct overthrowing her fear, Adrianna obeyed and she bore down.

"Yes sweetheart, push, push, push-" Mara said.

Erick watched as Adrianna's face turned a bright shade of red before she exhaled and slumped against the pillows, against him. "Good girl! Mara-"

"Just breathe, Anna." Mara patted her knee. "Take a second and breathe. That's good, you're doing great."

Adrianna took a few deep breaths and Erick wiped her face with a cloth. Her face went from bright red back to pink. Her brow was furrowed and her hand tight around his; it was almost over and she was eager to finish it.

"All right, Anna, on the next contraction, give me a big push," Mara said. "Deep breath and push, there you go, good girl-"

Erick's mind was buzzing, watching Adrianna somehow move past the pain, ignore her fear even though he could still see it in her eyes, but he saw something else in those green eyes he loved so fiercely. Determination.

"Almost there, almost there-" Mara said in an excited voice, and then-

A small, tiny wail rose up in the cacophony of noise.

Adrianna slumped into the pillows again, panting hard, tears slipping down her face, even as Mara and Astrid cheered and chattered excitedly. Erick couldn't form any thoughts as they gathered up a beautiful little baby in a bundle of cloths, rubbing and cleaning. All he could see was flashes of pink skin and then another squeal of a cry that was a song to his blood.

Life. A new life.

He blinked and realized his face was wet. "Oh my gods," Erick said, covering his mouth. "Annie! Annie, look!"

Adrianna looked exhausted, her chest still heaving but she managed to raise her head. Her tired expression cleared as she saw them cleaning her baby. "What… what is it?"

Mara shuffled to their side and gently set the baby, bundled clothes and all on Adrianna's chest. Adrianna gasped, holding the squealing baby close.

"Congratulations," Mara said, tears brightening her eyes. "You have a son."

Staring down at the little baby boy whimpering on Adrianna's chest, seeing her eyes clear and fill with such wonder and joy, Erick thought his heart would burst. He didn't know what to do with himself so he kissed Adrianna's temple.

Remembering him, she looked up at him with wide eyes. "Erick, it's… it's a boy."

Laughing, Erick nodded. "I know."

A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up to see Astrid's tear-stained face. He rose and hugged her tightly. "Mom, it's a boy! I can't believe it."

"Congratulations." Astrid said in his ear before kissing his cheek. "We should get him properly cleaned up and dressed."

Adrianna didn't seem too inclined to part with him so soon but nodded. "Be quick. Please."

"Of course." Astrid scooped up the baby, who wailed. "Ohh I know, I know…"

Mara patted Adrianna's knee, as if in reminder. "While she does that, we have other things to attend to."

"Like wha-" Adrianna began, then flopped back in annoyance. "Oh yeah."

Erick frowned in confusion. "What's this?"

"You may not like this part. I suggest going to see your son."

Mara didn't need to tell him twice. He didn't want to watch while she cleaned Adrianna up from the birthing process. But that didn't stop him from leaning down and kissing Adrianna. She pulled away first, looking positively exhausted, but happy.

"Go see him."

Erick nodded and walked to where Astrid was wrapping their son-their son-up in a blanket, wearing a comfy little cloth outfit to keep him warm. Astrid gazed down at him with bright eyes filled with such happiness.

He touched her shoulder. "Congratulations to you too, grandma."

Astrid tried to scoff but it came out as a breathy laugh. "Thanks." She too seemed like she didn't want to give up the little baby so soon, but she quickly relented, probably knowing that there would be plenty of time for everyone to have a turn later. Erick would have told her to take her time, but as if sensing the words, she firmly set the baby into his arms.

Time slowed.

He was small, perhaps seven or eight pounds. Though his skin was a bright pink, his little eyes squeezed tightly shut, Erick quickly recognized a few Haddock traits: the nose, the shape of the eyes. Time would only tell what other characteristics he'd have.

With shaking fingers, Erick brushed a thumb down a tiny little cheek. "Happy birthday, kiddo."

He could have stood there and looked at him all day, but a near-silent sniff pulled him out of his wonder, his thoughts. He didn't have to look at Adrianna to know she wanted him. Yet as he turned, he caught sight of the white scars running down his exposed forearm. At some point he'd pushed his shirt sleeves up, not even thinking about the scars being visible, but now, in a strange moment, he remember how bad things used to be.

After losing his father and then his sister, he'd been so depressed. So lonely. He'd thought that he'd never be happy again, that life couldn't possibly get better after the things that had happened. Of course, in time he'd come to know that it would get better. He'd made friends, fixed his relationship with most of his family, and gotten to marry the love of his life… But this was a whole new level of beginnings. This, right here in his arms, was what made all of it worth it.

"Everything did get better," he said hoarsely. He looked up at Adrianna, Astrid and Mara, these women who'd done so much for him in the terribly bumpy road he'd traveled. Their tear-streaked faces burned with such love and pride. He vowed to be worthy of it.

And looking down at the little bundle in his arms-his son-he felt such a deep, unending love grow in his chest, filling his limbs and burning in his heart. If only this little one knew just how much he was loved and how many people would go to the mat to protect him.

As he bent and carefully handed him to Adrianna, Erick resolved in his heart and soul that he would only be the first to do so when the time came. To protect this, his little, beautiful family, he would do anything. No matter what.

---

My son.

My son.

The words were running through Adrianna's head so rapidly, it was enough to give herself a headache. She knew it was partially a result of sleep deprivation that she felt so out of sorts, that her vision occasionally went out of focus and her muscles felt like lead.

She didn't care. Not about the soreness radiating through her lower body, not about the slight headache her fatigue was already giving her, not about her heart still thumping uncomfortably as it was still slowing back to normal. None of that mattered. Her son was here.

Ever since she was a little girl, she'd wanted to be a mother. She'd loved babies and gotten excited whenever she saw them. She still remembered the thrill of holding one all by herself for the first time. She was seven and it was one of the Ingerman children. Those tiny fingers and toes, that soft skin, all of it had fascinated her and created a deep and overwhelming longing to one day have one of her own. From the moment she realized she was pregnant, even though she was terrified and devastated that it had happened, she knew in her heart of hearts that this baby was a gift, a blessing. She had loved him more and more with each passing day for ten months.

But to see him, to hear him cry for the first time, she felt like her heart would burst. Tears splashed down her face and she was laughing and crying and gods knew what else anymore. Her emotions were so jumbled, she wouldn't have been able to properly write it even with all the poetic language in the world.

And now that she was finally clean, now that Erick was carrying him to her, she suddenly felt like she couldn't wait another second. Of course, her wonderful blessing of a husband knew this because the baby was in her arms a second later.

It felt like her arms were made to hold him. Like her fingers were made to stroke his cheek, her lips were made to kiss his little forehead. Gods, he was so soft! She kissed his forehead again and felt his little hand brush against her cheek.

"Hey," she breathed, her voice still weak. "What took you so long?"

She heard Erick chuckle as he slipped into bed next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. The newborn stirred when she tried to slip his arm back in his blankets, finally opening his eyes to look at her.

"I love you," she whispered to him. She turned to her husband. "Both of you."

"Me too," Erick said in a shaking voice, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

The smirk was across Adrianna's face almost of its own accord. "Well, a bit of self-love is a good thing but-"

"Ha ha." Erick squeezed her shoulder. "Now I know you're doing better."

"I am." Adrianna turned back to her son and her smirk melted into a genuine smile. "Thanks for giving me a reason to keep fighting, little guy."

The baby opened his mouth in a wide yawn. Adrianna felt another rush of joy, of love, for her son. He looked so comfortable in her arms, so peaceful and calm. In some ways, they had been a team for such a long time. She had taken care of him and, in turn, he had given her hope again after such a horrific experience. It felt strange to think of it like this, because she knew her baby didn't fully understand what his presence had done for her, but she felt like he had been there for her since that day, a constant in such an uncertain time. Carrying him had given her hope, one bright beacon in her dark thoughts.

She didn't regret it. She couldn't regret it. The worst moment in her life had transformed into such bliss that she felt like she would be willing to go through it all over again, from beginning to end, if it meant having him. She would rather endure that pain to live in a world where he was her baby, her son, than a world without him in which she had never once suffered.

It wasn't going to be easy. She knew since she was little that raising kids was difficult and sometimes painful. She'd wondered why her parents had stuck with her, had loved her so much despite the heartache she'd put them through, and now it made perfect sense. She could never stop loving this baby, never give up on him, no matter what he put her through.

She felt Erick brush her hair back and kiss her temple. "How are you feeling?"

She leaned into him. "Sore. Glad this is over."

"Yeah," Erick said, his smile audible. "We did it."

Adrianna laughed weakly. "We sure did."

---

The entire upstairs had gotten very quiet. Too quiet. It was enough to fray his nerves.

Hiccup didn't halt his pacing as the excitement of the baby's birth ebbed away. His heart had skipped a beat when he'd heard that first high cry, a rush of joy filling his chest. But he didn't allow himself to celebrate. Not yet. For it had become very quiet upstairs. No more baby cries, no more excited chatter, no sounds of his baby girl…

Finn sat in a chair across from Mara looking positively white. Any exhaustion had cleared from his face in lieu of the birth but Hiccup couldn't quite place if he was white with terror for his sister or the fact that their little family had just grown.

Lara had set down her knitting and was patiently waiting. He didn't know how she could be so calm. Then it occurred to him that she'd had five children. Of course she was calm.

He was just about to voice this thought when footsteps thudded on the stairs. He whipped around to see Astrid descending, her blue eyes bright.

Hiccup met her at the foot of the stairs. "Addie. Is she-"

"She's fine," Astrid said, grinning ear to ear. Despite the messiness of her braid due to being up all night, her skin was flushed with happiness. "She's perfectly fine, she did so well Hiccup, you should have seen it."

A wave of relief hit him so hard his knees almost buckled. He exhaled heavily, fighting the wave of emotion. "And the baby?"

Astrid nodded. "Healthy."

"Well?" Lara demanded. "What is it?"

His wife's eyes darted to Lara and Finn sitting at the table, her eyes lingering for a moment on her son. "It's a boy!"

Hiccup blinked at her, even as Finn exhaled heavily as if he'd been holding his breath. Lara clapped her hands and nodded, as if satisfied with the answer.

A boy. It was a boy!

A strong sense of joy filled him. He didn't know when it started but next he was laughing and hugging Astrid tighter than he ever had before. They had a grandson!

Astrid kissed his cheek as she pulled away. "Grandpa."

Hiccup elbowed her as she walked past to check on Finn, who looked a bit dazed. "Grandma."

"You alright?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah…" Finn said, blinking out of his reverie. "I mean, of course it's a boy. I knew it all along."

"Uh huh," Astrid said, stooping to kiss his cheek. "Uncle Finn."

A small smile pulled at his face but he said nothing else as she returned to Hiccup's side and took his hand.

"Adri's all cleaned up," she said. "She said you can come upstairs anytime."

Hiccup felt a flash of nerves but didn't give them an inch. He followed her up the stairs and into their room, which looked much different than it usually did by comparison. Most of the furniture had been moved to one side to make extra room on both sides of the bed, upon which was his precious Adrianna.

She looked exhausted, her blonde hair mostly falling out of the bun atop her head. Her eyes were on the little squirming bundle in her arms, her green eyes full of such wonder and joy. Erick sat in a chair beside the bed, gently pushing a piece of the blanket away from the baby's face. He looked up when they arrived and nearly jumped out of his chair, ecstatic in a way that Hiccup had almost never seen before.

"Hiccup!" Erick gripped him in a tight hug before he could make it three steps into the room. He pulled away quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

Hiccup squeezed his shoulder. He didn't have the words when Adrianna met his eyes, her face infused with happiness. His baby girl, who'd been through so much and seen so much darkness in the world, looked so happy and peaceful at last, just as he knew she would when this moment finally came at last. His heart burned with such pride, it was all he could do to not fall to his knees right there and weep.

"Daddy, don't look like that," Adrianna chided, reaching out to take his hand. "Come here."

Hiccup obeyed but ignored her hand in favor of wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tight. Adrianna's free arm came around his neck. He felt the collar of his shirt grow wet from where her face was pressed even as tears slipped down his own face. Even after everything that had happened, after all the sleepless nights, the blood and sweat and tears, every ounce of stress, he'd do it all over again for the young woman in his arms, and the baby lying in hers. He was so thankful that he got to have this moment with her and that together they'd survived so much.

His Addie.

"Thank you," Adrianna whispered, pulling back and wiping the tears off his face. "If it wasn't for you-"

"Shh, no," Hiccup shook his head. "We made it together. All of us." He glanced up at Astrid, her arm wrapped around Erick's shoulders. He gave Mara a grateful nod as she excused herself, patting him on the shoulder on the way out to give them a moment.

Hiccup turned his attention back to Adrianna and the little bundle wrapped in her arms. She shifted so he could see better. Instantly he saw the Haddock nose in the round little face. He squirmed in the blankets, squeaking in protest at the bonds holding his little arms back.

"Stubborn already," Hiccup said, earning a grin from Adrianna. He peeled back a layer of the blanket that shadowed the baby's eyes and marveled at the softness of newborn baby skin and the peach-fuzz hair. "No telling what hair color yet, I'm afraid."

Adrianna shrugged. "Or eye color it seems. His eyes were open earlier but they just looked blue. Mom said that can change though." She gave him a slightly nervous look. "Do you want to hold him?"

"You don't have to give him up so soon."

"Trust me," Adrianna said, sitting up slightly. "I've been carrying him for nine, almost ten months and there is plenty more to come. Everyone is allowed to have a turn." She cradled her arms around him and minding his head, pressed him into Hiccup's arms so flawlessly, it seemed like she'd already done it a hundred times. But any thoughts on the matter disappeared when he held his grandson for the first time.

A little pink tongue darted out as he squirmed, as if cold from the sudden transfer. Hiccup sat back on his heels and snuggled him close, marveling at how tiny but strong he was. A little fist finally shoved out of the blanket, waving around before grabbing on to Hiccup's finger.

Hiccup pecked the tiny little fingers. "Nice to meet you, little one."

He squeaked in earnest, his face contorting with discomfort.

"Aww now is that any way to greet your Poppy?" Adrianna asked.

"Poppy?" Hiccup asked, surprise. "That's what you're calling me?"

Adrianna shrugged. "That's what we called your dad. Poppy. It seems fitting."

"I for one think it's adorable," Erick agreed.

"Oh be quiet, you sap."

Erick shrugged, not minding the term one bit. Indeed, Hiccup wondered if that dimpled smile would ever fade after today. Knowing his own pride after his kids had been born, he doubted it.

Adrianna nodded toward the door. "You should take him downstairs."

"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked. "If he's getting fussy-"

"He hasn't started crying yet," Adrianna said. "I want him to meet Finn and Lara."

Nodding, Hiccup carefully stood, the baby snuggled warmly in the blankets. He shook out his left leg, feeling a rush of tingles from where the blood circulation had cut off. Then smiling at Adrianna, he turned and left the room to introduce the newest member of the family to the others.

The day that Finn had discovered his sister was pregnant, he'd been beside himself with anger and rage. In the months that followed he'd gone through a series of emotions from anger to confusion to sadness to neutrality, and only in the last few weeks did he feel a strong sense of nervousness.

Honestly, the larger she'd gotten and the closer her due date came, the more terrified he got.

What was he supposed to do with a baby in the family anyway? What was his role? He was just the uncle, which wasn't nothing, but… did it carry the same level of importance as a parent or grandparent? He'd never had an uncle, so he wasn't sure. Kids had always been his sister's line of business, not his. Heck, he'd never even talked to a kid younger than ten years old. Now he felt a bit lost, like a rudderless ship. He supposed he was being a bit dramatic and tried to steer his thoughts to something more positive, but he couldn't help it.

Genevieve would have said he was afraid.

And she'd be right.

This fact was only proven when he heard the gentle step-thunk of his dad's prosthetic on the stairs. Finn's heart skipped a beat when his eyes landed on what he carried.

"Oh, it's about time," Lara said, hopping out of her chair and rushing forward. She peered into the little bundle with a coo. "Why hello there! And good, Erick, I was wondering when you'd remember that I existed."

Erick reached the bottom of the stairs and laughed. He embraced his mom, apologizing and launching into the story.

Finn stood from his chair, tuning out the excited chatter from the Larsons. The little bundle in his dad's arms squirmed, a small squeak sounding over the noise.

Astrid laughed. "Finn, stop sizing up your nephew."

He whipped his gaze to his mom. "I'm not sizing him up."

"You're scowling."

"I'm not scowling, I'm processing."

"Yes, you scowl when you process."

"Astrid, leave him alone," Hiccup said quietly, looking at him with a strangely somber look. He took a few steps forward. Finn forced himself to stay put, to not back away. To keep them from shaking, he shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling exceptionally awkward when his dad stopped at his side and said, "Say hello to your nephew."

Finn stared down into the pink, pudgy little face ensconced in the blanket. A tiny arm had forced its way out as he tried to cram his fist into his mouth, sounding far too irritated for only being born less than an hour ago.

"About time you showed up, kid." Finn said, raising a brow. "You're late."

Snorts of laughter sounded around the room and he could have sworn he heard an indignant sigh from upstairs, as if Adrianna was straining to hear every word.

"You meet your nephew for the first time," Erick said. "And the first thing you tell him is 'you're late'?"

Finn shrugged. "What can I say? I value punctuality."

Astrid rolled her eyes but Finn didn't care. He wasn't being serious. In fact, making the stupid jokes actually eased some of the tension from his body. He didn't know why he'd gotten himself so worked up before, it was just a little baby. Maybe he should chill out.

Hiccup watched him closely, as if reading his thoughts. Finn met his gaze head on, unwilling to be the one to blink first. He didn't know why but if anyone was doing the sizing up, it was his dad. He could handle this. Sure it had been a long road, but they'd handled everything else that had been thrown at him. He could handle his sister's newborn baby.

Even if it-he-still scared him a little bit.

A small, knowing smile tugged up one half of Hiccup's face. Like he recognized and understood that fear.

Finn cleared his throat and turned to Erick. "How's Anna?"

"Good," Erick said. "Tired, but good. I'll spare you the details but when people say it's an amazing experience, they aren't kidding."

"I'll take your word for it," Finn said, finally removing his hands from his pockets to give his brother-in-law a hug.

Erick embraced him and slapped him on the back, looking positively elated. It was strange just how much had changed in the last year and now here was one of his bestest bruhs, married and a dad.

Finn pulled back and sighed. "Dude, I don't think I've seen you smile that big since-" He frowned at his dad as he stepped closer. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you want to hold your nephew?" Hiccup asked, a slight teasing edge to his voice.

Finn's heart skipped a beat, all thoughts freezing in his head. "Uhhh… what?"

Erick snorted but held his tongue, even as Hiccup adjusted his grip on the tiny bundle. "I said-"

"I heard what you said," Finn said, taking a step back. "I, uh… I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Astrid asked, smirking right alongside Lara in the kitchen.

"Because I can't- don't, I mean… I don't want to." He finished lamely.

"Uh huh," Hiccup smiled, stepping closer still. "Hold out your arms."

"Dad, I've never-" Finn huffed, hating the blush that rose to his face. "I've never held a baby before."

"I know." Hiccup said, gently lifting the baby up. "And the first one you ever hold is going to be your nephew."

Finn clenched and unclenched his hands as the baby came closer, still sucking on his fist. "But what if I drop him?"

"You won't," Hiccup said. "If you can volunteer to fight in a duel to protect your nephew and his mother's life, then you can hold him for the first time too."

Astrid appeared at his elbow, moving his arms to a better position as his dad carefully handed over the baby, who squeaked and squirmed in the blankets again. "It's okay to be afraid," she said softly. "Just don't let fear hold you back."

And just like that, his parents let go, and Finn was holding a baby. He stared down at him, afraid to move for fear of disturbing the peace-

"Don't forget to breathe." Hiccup said, his voice laced with amusement.

Finn huffed a laugh. "Right. Breathing is good."

His hands felt too big to be holding such a tiny little thing. He could easily hold him in one arm, he was so small and lightweight. He didn't dare risk it, not when he was holding something so… precious.

The word clanged through him.

This… was his sister's baby. His sister's son.

His nephew.

For so long the idea had been so foreign and strange. He couldn't comprehend it. He hadn't known what to expect and hadn't allowed himself to think too much about it, if only because he had no experience with children. He liked having a purpose and knowing where he stood, what his role was… and he never realized what that would look like. What it could look like.

And now, he realized that this tiny human was his flesh and blood. He was a part of the family now. And he wasn't just Adrianna and Erick's son, or his parents' grandson, he was Finn's nephew. Only in recent months had the idea started to sound nice but only in jesting. He'd never fully realized what an important role he would play in this child's life.

He'd already played an important role in his short life. Just yesterday he'd gone down fighting to protect Adrianna and this little baby. His nephew. For so long the baby had just been a concept. But not anymore. Now he was alive and breathing and fragile and infinitely precious.

And Finn knew he'd walk onto every battlefield necessary to protect him, no matter how big or small.

"What do you think?" Astrid asked quietly from his elbow.

Finn shifted slightly, fingers curving around the warm sleeping body. "He's so tiny."

"He won't be forever," Hiccup said. "Just blink a few times and-"

"Don't," Erick pointed. "Let me enjoy this before you burst my bubble."

They chuckled and Finn turned to Lara. "Do you want a turn?"

Lara shook her head. "That's alright, dear. I'll get a turn later. He looks quite comfy."

"Doesn't he though?" Astrid asked, elbowing him. "Who knew you'd be so good at holding babies?"

"Oh sure, how hard is it to guard a potato?"

Erick choked, even as they others gasped in dismay. "My son is not a potato!"

"Excuse me," Finn said, carefully sliding into the nearest chair. "My nephew is sleeping and it would be a real shame if he were to wake up because you couldn't control yourself."

"What?"

"You heard me," Finn said, snuggling his nephew closer. "He needs his beauty sleep if he's going to look like me someday."

Astrid sighed. "We've created a monster."

"We just needed to clear some hurdles, that's all." Hiccup said. "But I would suggest not calling him a potato in front of Addie."

Finn shrugged again. "Hey, he's my nephew."

At that moment, the baby stirred awake, squirming in his arms. Finn was very glad he was sitting down and found himself gritting his teeth when the little guy's face scrunched up angrily. His little voice rose up in a strange, panting keen until a long wail echoed through the room.

"Ahh I'm sorry, I take it back!" Finn whispered. "You don't really look like a potato!"

Much to his relief, Erick took the baby from his arms. "Hey now, it's okay." It was strange to see Erick holding the baby after so long talking about it but Finn had to admit, he was a natural. Erick looked to the others, looking a bit nervous. "I think I'll take him back upstairs."

"He's probably getting hungry," Astrid said. "We've been down here for a while anyway. I'm sure Adri misses him already."

They watched him walk to the stairs, the baby crying in his arms before Finn realized something. "Hey! What's his name? You didn't tell us!"

Turning, Erick gave them a sly smile and proceeded up the stairs.

"Oh well that's just-" Finn huffed, crossing his arms. "The kid is finally born and they still won't tell us the name."

"Patience is a virtue, kiddo." Hiccup patted his shoulder. "We didn't tell everyone your names until the naming ceremony."

He groaned. Gods, if he had to wait until after the Convocation to know the name, if he had to just call him "the baby" for one more week, he'd burst.

"I'm proud of you, Finn." His dad said, a somber edge to his voice. Finn looked up but his dad's eyes were on the stairs toward the room above. "I was mad at you yesterday and… I wish we'd been honest with each other about everything. I should have told you my plans, too." He looked down, green eyes meeting blue. "And even though you didn't win, I'm proud of you for doing whatever it took to protect your sister and her family."

Finn shrugged. "I learned bravery from the best."

Hiccup beamed and squeezed his shoulder. "Get some rest though. We've got another long day ahead of us, though you don't have to go to the morning meeting-"

"Are you kidding? I'm going. After yesterday, I have to."

"Well… if you want to."

Finn blinked in surprise that his dad didn't argue. He figured he'd make him stay home and rest, since he'd pulled almost two all nighters now and was still injured. But he'd go to the meeting. Brandyn would be there and he'd find out about the baby soon enough, if he hadn't yet already.

And they needed to be ready when he made his move.

Hiccup selected a spot at the couch and made to sit down, looking exhausted when Erick appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, Annie wants everyone to come upstairs for a minute."

Finn's brows flicked up in surprise but he said nothing as his parents and Lara aimed for the stairs, looking confused as well. He followed them, wincing at the pain in his neck that flared dully. Maybe he shouldn't hold the baby again for a while, not until he was properly healed. He should probably change the bandages again-

The thoughts disappeared when he walked into his parents' room. Adrianna looked a bit disheveled and tired, but her green eyes were bright as they beheld her family and her son resting in her arms. Finn took up a spot in front of the large mirror and waited as the others took up a seat. Erick took a seat beside her and gave her a short nod.

"So, we've come to a decision," Adrianna said, her voice a bit hoarse. "We were going to wait to tell you until tomorrow but… well, Erick mentioned Finn was whining so I decided we should tell you anyway."

"The name? Yes!" Finn smirked. "Whining does pay off."

"No it doesn't." Adrianna said, then cleared her throat. "We had a hard time picking… there were so many names for boys and girls that we liked. We had many ideas and we decided, just in case, to have a few names picked out just in case we did have twins or something outrageous."

They laughed and she rolled her eyes. "I'm so glad that didn't happen. But on a more serious note…" She locked eyes with Hiccup and Astrid. "Whatever we chose we wanted it to be something special. While there were a handful that we liked, there was only one name that felt right."

Adrianna glanced at Erick, who nodded encouragingly. She even met Finn's eyes, much to his surprise, before looking back at their parents. "So… in honor of the baby brother we never had a chance to meet, we want to name him Darin. Darin Erick Larson."

Finn's heart stopped, then started again. He looked to his parents to gauge their reactions and was even more surprised to see tears in both of their eyes.

"Oh Adri," Astrid said, closing her eyes and failing miserably to stop the tears from falling down her face. "You don't have to-"

"I want to," Adrianna said. "We want to. We talked about it for months. I know we never got to meet him…" Her voice wobbled. "But he was a part of our family too. And the more I thought about it and the more we talked about, it just felt right. But I… I want your honest opinion, too. If it's… too painful-"

Fighting tears of his own, Hiccup released Astrid's hand and closed the distance between them. He bent down and kissed Adrianna's forehead firmly, cupping her chin in his hand. "Addie, it's your baby… and we'd be honored if you wanted to use Darin."

Adrianna beamed and kissed his cheek. As if she'd been afraid they wouldn't like it or that they'd be upset…

"It's a good name," Finn said. "I really like it."

"Do you really?" Adrianna asked.

"I do," Finn nodded. "But I'm curious… why Erick for the middle name?"

"Honestly I argued about that for a while…" Erick said a bit sheepishly. "But she wanted it."

"For the man who sacrificed so much for me and our son," Adrianna said, squeezing his hand and kissing the back of his palm. "It was a small token to show my gratitude. And we're going to raise our son to be just like all these brilliant men I know and love." She beamed at Erick, Hiccup and then, to his surprise, to Finn. "Yes, don't look so surprised, even you, Finnegan."

"Does this mean your second-born will be named after me?"

Adrianna scoffed, even as the others laughed. "Not likely."

"I had to try."

"Sure." Adrianna gazed down at her son with a bright-eyed look of happiness and pride. Yes, Finn realized, all those months ago, his dad had been right. There really was healing and joy and happiness here. This was exactly how it was all meant to be.

"Darin Erick Larson," Hiccup murmured, running a finger down a soft, tiny cheek. "A sunrise for a new day."

---

DARIN IS HERE FINALLY! BOY IF YOU KNEW HOW LONG WE'D KEPT HIM AND HIS NAME SECRET, YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT!

Anyway if you want to gush, please leave a review. Even if you're on the server. You know who you are. And if you're not on the server, join the server! Link's in my author note for last chapter.

~Katie