Twenty Four: A Hole in the Day
Christmas dawned snowy and bright-a perfect Berkian day, despite the balmy minus six temperature-and Hiccup was woken at six by an over-excited child bouncing on him wildly.
"Wake up wake up wake up! Santa's been!" Hanna yelled, bouncing on the bed like a trampoline. "Santa's been!" Hiccup cracked a weary eye open and peered at his daughter, grinning widely.
"Have you checked?" he mumbled, running a hand through his wild auburn hair. She nodded happily.
"I sneaked out and checked the presents at the bottom of the tree," she whispered loudly. "Can you come and open them with me please? I really want to open them with you, Dad…" Yawning, he sat up and wrapped her in a big hug, tickling her lightly and having her giggling and squirming.
"I want to open them with my favourite daughter as well," he admitted, kissing her gently. "Can Daddy put his leg on first?" She nodded and scrambled off the bed, her hair sticking out of its little braids before she grabbed his prosthetic and very carefully carried it to him.
"Here you are," she said proudly, watching him swing his legs over the edge of the bed and expertly fit the prosthesis on. "Dad-does that hurt?" He smiled and shook his head, trying to flatten his wild mop and then levering himself to his feet.
"Thanks, Princess," he said and swung her into his arms. "Now shall we see what Santa has brought for you?" She nodded.
"Do we have to be quiet?" she asked in a very loud whisper. "Astrid is still asleep."
I bet she probably isn't any more, Hiccup thought with a smile but he nodded. "That would be very thoughtful," he told his daughter as they sneaked out of his room, past the closed door to the Nanny and then down the stairs. Once downstairs, he fetched Hanna a banana milkshake and a biscuit and then they sat by the pile of beautifully wrapped parcels that Hiccup and Astrid had carefully arranged the previous night. "Okay, Princess-what do you want to open first?"
An hour passed very pleasantly with Hanna ripping her way through the paper, carefully unwrapping presents and very carefully and thoroughly investigating every gift. Her green eyes sparkled and there was an immovable grin fixed on her face. Hiccup surreptitiously made a note of which gift was from which person, so that he could arrange 'thank you' cards later to the right people, but he was fascinated with the way his daughter methodically investigated everything. It was amazing to see his own ways mirrored in his child, though he wasn't sure whether she was unconsciously copying him or this was something intrinsic to her. Certainly, he recalled being a small thunderbolt as a child, leaving chaos in his wake…but being very thorough in how he explored anything he encountered.
Finally, he heard the sounds of steps as Astrid quietly made her way downstairs, her blue pyjamas crumpled and hair neatly restrained in a simple braid over her left shoulder. She grinned at the pair, surrounded by crumpled and ripped paper and boxes and shook her head.
"Happy Christmas!" she greeted them as Hiccup looked up, his emerald eyes sparkling as he saw her.
"Merry Christmas to you too!" he grinned. "And…sorry. I may have made an enormous mess…" She chuckled.
"It wouldn't be a proper Christmas if you didn't," she told him as she walked forward and hugged Hanna. "And morning, Missy. Have you got everything you wanted?" She nodded eagerly.
"I've got a new doll and a new Elsa and a new Anna and a new Olaf and some dresses and some clothes and colours and papers and books and lots of DVDs and a cuddly Sven and…" she began, grinning.
"Has your Dad showed you your big present yet?" Astrid asked her with a wink. Hiccup smiled as Hanna turned to him with big eyes.
"Dad?" she asked as he rose and took her hand.
"Come along, Princess," he told her as Astrid took her other hand and they swung the little girl between them. Swiftly, they made their way into the garage and found a pink bike with its stabilisers, wrapped in a big pink and silver bow with a label marked 'Hanna' on it. Squealing, Hanna ran forward and inspected it, checking he saddle and bell and the new helmet sitting on the saddle. Then she ran back and hugged Hiccup.
"Thanks, Dad," she whispered. "That's perfect…" He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.
"Now of course we can't ride outside as it's snowy and very very cold but we may be able to move things so you can ride a bit in here-after breakfast," he told her gently as she squealed and ran back into the house.
"Hurry up!" she called in a slightly bossy voice. "I want to try out my bike!" Hiccup and Astrid shared a look and both tried not to burst out laughing before they followed her.
After a delicious breakfast of pancakes with chocolate spread and sprinkles, bacon and eggs for Hiccup and porridge for Astrid, everyone dressed and Hiccup found himself astonishingly self-conscious and slightly emotional in the Christmas sweater that Heather had bought him last year. That had been her idea-exchanging truly awful sweaters so they could share the day laughing at one another. But he bit his lip and pulled on the green item with the big brown pudding on the front. Hanna was in her new Elsa outfit, the white gown with blue and purple just like the one in the new film. Astrid had braided her hair and brushed it out while she was wearing black jeans, a sky blue polo neck shirt and a red sparkly sweater.
It was only when Hanna was cycling carefully in circles round the garage with Hiccup and Astrid watching that the Nanny handed him a carefully wrapped parcel. It was beautifully decorated with ribbon and a bow and he looked embarrassed.
"You shouldn't have…" he protested but she shook her head.
"Hiccup-you are my friend and what sort of friend would I be if I forgot you at Christmas?" she asked, seeing him smile. It was amusing to watch his deft fingers cautiously peel back the little tabs of sticky tape and untie the ribbon before carefully peeling back the paper. And within, he found a new, soft woollen hat, scarf and gloves wrapped around a silver frame containing a Hanna original of Hanna, Hiccup and what was clearly Heather, standing by a Christmas tree under a bright yellow sun. He blinked and took a shuddering breath.
"I…" She smiled.
"Hiccup-Hanna wanted to do you a picture to remind you that Heather is still there," she said. "She did this last week and even though she had a wobble, she understands that she can't have her Mom back. But she will never forget her and she will be there for you." He nodded wordlessly.
"Thank you," he said honestly. "I don't know what I would do without you." She smiled and pecked a kiss on the cheek.
"You would do fine-but I'm here to try to make things easier for you," she reassured him. "Now I ought to be going. All those well-meaning matchmaking Hoffersons will be wondering if you're keeping me prisoner…" He looked up, chuckling lightly.
"No offence but have your family met you?" he teased her. "I'm pretty sure you could beat me up, judo throw me and lock me in the cellar before I even had time to call out!" She swatted his shoulder with a mock-horrified expression.
"I'll have you know, sir, that I am a perfectly respectable Nanny and former footballer," she told him in a stern voice. "I would never kidnap my employer unless it was absolutely necessary!"
"Well, that's reassuring to know!" Hiccup quipped.
"Dad!" They both looks up guiltily as Hanna sped by, waving. She was wearing her cycling helmet and elbow and knee pads but she had insisted on wearing her Elsa dress so Astrid had carefully tucked it up to stop it getting caught. And then Hiccup glanced down at the little picture, carefully framed and smiled.
"Hey, Princess," he murmured. "Astrid's going now. Shall we wave her off and then we can watch a film." For a second the little girl looked uncertain but then she nodded.
"Can I choose the film?" she asked and he nodded, gently tickling her.
"And I can guess which one," he grinned.
oOo
After Astrid had driven off, parcels tucked in her bag from both Hiccup and Hanna, the little family had settled down to watch Frozen and then Hiccup had cooked the Christmas Lunch while Hanna had played with her dolls while listening to the music from Frozen 2. Throughout the meal, Hiccup had tried really hard to be cheerful, making sure that Hanna had her paper crown on, 'won' both their crackers and had her favourite Christmas songs playing. The turkey crown was a little dry but there was plenty of gravy and vegetables and Hanna had an extra Yorkshire pudding as she had asked for. Astrid's Christmas trifle was wonderful and though she ended up with cream on her nose, the little girl had polished off three helpings and was smiling as Hiccup cleaned his own plate.
No one had phoned or texted-that was what had really hurt Hiccup as he sat down after putting the dishes and pans in the sink to soak. Hanna was sleepy and had curled up next to him, tucked under a Christmas blanket, and he had the candles lit just as Heather always had, but he was feeling horribly alone. Aimlessly, he flicked through the channels, finding all of them showing family Christmas programming. The images of happy families huddled together made him feel sad and angry at the same time, wishing there was something he could watch that wouldn't remind him of the horrible loss he had suffered and that he was alone with his daughter this Christmas. That while everyone else was in the bosom of their family, he was condemned to be alone. And while he didn't blame his friends for their distraction as they were enjoying their Christmas, he couldn't help feeling jealous.
Hanna mumbled and shifted slightly, her small hand reaching out and automatically, he took it. Quietly, she gripped him and then settled, a small smile on her face. And then he took a deep breath and sighed. He couldn't alter Heather's death, couldn't alter the fact he was a widow with no family but he still had Hanna and he knew he should be grateful that he had something left of her. Then he sighed. The anniversary was coming up in January and he knew he would be a mess then. He owed Hanna a decent Christmas, at the very least.
His phone buzzed and he blinked, then reached for it and stared at the screen.
[13:41] ASTRID: Do you have any plans for this afternoon/evening.
He smiled, warmth curling in his chest and typed in a reply.
[13:42] HICCUP: My diary looks pretty full. Watching TV. Singing Frozen songs. Making turkey sandwiches…
[13:42] ASTRID: Do you want to spend the afternoon with a house full of Hoffersons? There are children here so Hanna won't be alone and it would really help me as I may have to commit multiple murder if I stay here much longer.
[13:44] HICCUP: When you put it like that, how can I refuse. I'll check with Hanna and get a taxi…
[13;45] ASTRID: No need. I'm outside.
He smiled and reached for the remote, then switched the television off. Moving carefully so he didn't disturb Hanna, he got up, blew out the candles and went to quickly wash the plates before peering through the front door. Sure enough, Astrid's little car was parked there, the blonde sitting in the driver's seat, her white woolly hat and matching mittens obvious in the dull afternoon. Putting the door on the latch, he walked to knock on the window and she glanced up, started and then wound it down.
"Wow. You're really distracted," he commented as she managed a watery smile.
"My ever-loving interfering munge-eating selfish horrible family have set me up with some distant cousin as my 'date' for Christmas," she growled. "Not that they asked me, of course. Instead I have some yak-brained lump of meat sticking to me like a limpet, trying to engage me in conversation about the scrap metal business."
"Ah. That does sound appalling," he said, feeling lighter than he had since she had left. "What a lovely Christmas present that must have been."
"No sweat," Astrid grumped, her mittened hands still clamped around the steering wheel. "Even if I was looking for someone-which I'm not-Eirik is approximately the LAST person I would ever look at. I mean the man has the conversational skills of plankton and the personality of a rock." Hiccup managed a small smile.
"You know, in parts of Berk, that would be considered a catch," he commented. "Does he have hair and his own teeth. Because if he does, you're ahead of the game."
"And there's the problem," she sighed and rested her head against the steering wheel. "I've been off Berk. I have a higher bar."
"Honestly, it doesn't need to even be that much higher," Hiccup commented, shivering slightly and brushing snowflakes off his sweater. "Wanna come in and help me get Hanna ready?" Giving a big sigh, Astrid nodded, wound up the window and emerged. And even though he was freezing and lightly dusted in snow, Hiccup waited to accompany her inside.
Hanna was still dozing so it was easy for Astrid to swiftly pack a bag for her and Hiccup grabbed a couple of things before he crouched down and gently shook his daughter. She mumbled and blearily opened her eyes.
"Hey, Princess," he said gently, smiling at her. She blinked again.
"Hey Dad," she mumbled. He gently sat her up.
"I've got an idea," he said and she yawned. "What if we went to see Astrid."
She grinned.
"Can we? Please?" she asked, suddenly much more awake. Hiccup grinned.
"Yes," he said and turned round. "Look-she's come to collect us."
"ASTRID! You came back!" the little girl yelled and ran to fling herself at the Nanny. "Dad has been sad. We've been trying to be happy and have fun but it's not the same without you." The Nanny smiled.
"It wasn't the same without you either, sweetie," she said, crouching down to hug the little girl. "That's why I asked your Dad if you all wanted to come with me back to see my family. There's lots of them and I have some young cousins just your age and I think my cousin Theresa is completely mad on Frozen as well…" Hanna's eyes brightened.
"Can I bring my new Elsa and Anna?" she asked and Astrid nodded.
"If your Dad is happy," she reminded the little girl and Hanna turned her big green eyes beseechingly on her father.
"Please, Dad?" she asked, her voice pleading. Hiccup chuckled and pointed to the pink rucksack where Elsa and Anna were obviously poking out of the top.
"I already knew you would want them to come," he smiled. "Now let's get you into your warm coat." As Hanna ran off to get her coat, Astrid gathered up her charge's bags as Hiccup smiled. "Thank you," he said. "I can't tell you what this means." She winked.
"Actually, you're doing me a huge favour," she told him honestly. "Because you're the only person there who isn't trying to marry me off." He chuckled.
"Don't worry-I'll protect you from mean relatives," he said, only then recalling how protective Astrid's father and brother were. But she reached out as his face fell and her hand gently grasped his, just briefly giving it a squeeze.
"And I'll protect you from the overprotective ones," she promised.
And somehow, though he was missing his wife terribly and had been dreading this day, the rest of Christmas suddenly seemed more hopeful…