Chapter 4 – Past, Present, & Future: Part 2

What better day to post this than on Hiccup's (kinda) birthday? So, Happy Birthday, Hiccup!

Woo! Part 2!

As always, thanks to my wonderful collaborator, Christine. We are super excited about this chapter…you'll see why!

Hope you enjoy!

Hiccup woke up to the sounds of the chickens out in the field, signaling the start of a new day. It was a sound he got so used to while living on the ranch that, eventually, it didn't phase him. After not being here for a year, however, the sound woke him right up as the sun made its way over the horizon and slowly cast an orange light through the blinds in his old bedroom.

The never ending sound didn't even make Astrid flinch. He glanced over at his wife lying on her side next to him, her arm slung over his chest. He felt his lips turn up into a smile every time he heard a little snore come from her mouth and knew the second he mentioned to his wife that she snored, she would deny it, but he found it to be cute - something else she'd slap his shoulder for saying.

Hiccup was the only one that got to see her this way. So real. So natural. So peaceful. He's seen her in the most glamorous of dresses. He's seen her all made up for the parties and cameras and for people of importance. But there was nothing more beautiful than seeing her like this. He noticed the way the golden light from the morning would illuminate the tiny freckles splattered across her nose. And then he noticed the lock of her hair that had made its way into her slightly open mouth. He tucked it behind her ear and left his hand resting on her warm cheek for a moment.

Wanting to enjoy the last morning he knew they'd both get like this for a while, Hiccup took one more look at the face he never got tired of waking up to before closing his eyes and drifting back off to sleep.

Hiccup woke back up to the sound of his phone vibrating on the wooden nightstand next to his bed. Rubbing the heavy sleep from his eyes, he blinked a few times until they adjusted to the light of his phone screen. It was a text from Fishlegs letting him know he'd be over in about thirty minutes to pick them up. The three friends were heading to the Melody Valley Fair. It happened every August and today just happened to be opening day of week-long carnival games, rides, and fried foods.

He looked up at the time. They'd overslept.

Glancing over at Astrid, who'd turned to her other side, he figured it'd be quicker to just get dressed first and then tackle the task of waking up his wife.

He tried calling her name every few minutes, but only received a groan and tugging the blanket over her face in response.

There was one thing he could do. It was dangerous...but it always worked.

Astrid was a strong woman, but just like almost everyone else, there was just one spot that made them weak. And on Astrid that was her sides. He'd found this out about her right after they got married when he'd snuck up behind her one evening and placed his hands on the one spot that made her go limp.

He didn't do this often...hardly at all because it always ended with him getting a bruise that took days to heal.

But she currently showed no signs of waking and Fishlegs would be here in fifteen minutes. At this point, he didn't have a choice.

Hiccup crawled back on the bed, took a deep breath, and placed his hands right there at the tops of her sides.

The events that followed were almost a blur.

Astrid curled up into a ball, threw the blanket off her, and tried her best to wiggle away from the tickling hands of her husband. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe, tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes, and she couldn't find the strength between the giggles to raise her arm and shove the man away from her.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" She shouted over and over between fits of laughter.

But then she felt it. It came out of nowhere as it had once before. And that feeling overtook the feeling of tickles coming from her sides. It was just enough for her to find her strength again.

Too focused on not losing her dinner right here on the bed and all over her husband, she didn't even realize that she'd shoved him off her so hard that he went tumbling the floor. She was already out of bed and pulling the door open with a hand over her mouth before she could hear Hiccup fall off the bed and onto the ground next to it with a loud thump followed by a painful groan.

She barely made it in time and didn't even shut the bathroom door before everything she'd ate the previous day resurfaced in the most unpleasant way possible.

"Astrid?" Hiccup called from the spot in the doorway, voice shaking and full of worry.

She waved him off, keeping her head forward and waiting for her stomach to lurch again.

It did.

She faintly heard the bathroom door click shut and felt Hiccup kneel on the tile floor next to her.

"I'm fine...you don't have to be in here," Astrid spoke hoarsely after catching her breath.

"I know," Hiccup replied softly, placing his hand on her back and rubbing it up and down soothingly as another wave hit her. He closed his eyes and tried to think about anything other than losing his own dinner along with her. Neither he nor Astrid had time for his weak stomach. Instead, he focused on how his hand felt against the smooth material of her shirt.

Astrid focused on the gentle circles he was rubbing into her back until she felt that it was safe enough to lean back up against the cool edge of the bathtub. She wiped the beads of sweat from her clammy forehead and peeked over at her husband whose face was the same color as the white towel hanging above his head, "Can you go get me some water?"

He nodded, standing up slowly and held onto the wall for just a moment before walking out of the small bathroom.

She sat there with her eyes closed, enjoying the coolness of the floor beneath her until he returned with the water. She didn't even have enough energy to get up and brush her teeth like she so desperately wanted to.

"Here you go." He handed her the drink and kneeled back beside her.

"Thank you, babe." She took it from his grasp and took slow sips at first, making sure it wasn't going to come back up, before chugging it down.

"How're you feeling now?" Hiccup asked after she set the glass on the floor next to her.

"I'm tired."

Hiccup nodded, it was apparently all he needed to know before pulling his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. Astrid watched his thumbs glide swiftly across his screen, "What're you doing?" She asked.

"Telling Fishlegs we can't make it."

"What? Why?"

He glanced up from his screen and looked at her like she had suddenly grown three heads, "Astrid, you can't seriously be thinking about going."

"Well, no...but you can."

He dismissed her with a shake of his head and continued typing, "I'm not leaving you."

Astrid extended her arm and pushed his phone down so he'd stop texting, "Hiccup, I'm just sick. Not dying. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Yeah, sure, but you don't have to."

Astrid huffed, "And I don't need you to hover over me all day." She wished she hadn't said it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Slapping him probably would've hurt less.

He looked away from her and down at the phone in his lap that she watched him turn off, never having sent the message, "I understand." He muttered.

"Hiccup-"

His phone lit up again and buzzed, signaling that Fishlegs was here and waiting for him out front.

"No, I'll go," she watched him get to his feet then. He still hadn't looked back at her face, "Just promise me you'll call if you do...need me."

He'd walked out of the room before she could reply or explain or even tell him to have a good time. The last time she'd seen him look that hurt at a cause of her was back that day in the medical tent when he'd thought she'd planted the mice in the field.

Astrid used the bathtub as support as she got to her feet, her legs a bit wobbly after losing the contents of her stomach. She walked through the house, trying to catch him, but he was already out the front door and greeting Fishlegs with their usual handshake - two fist bumps and a high five - before hopping in the passenger seat of his small car.

She almost walked out the door to make sure he didn't leave without knowing what she said she didn't mean.

But no explanation came to mind.

And that's why she just stood there and watched them drive away.

Astrid was curled up on the couch in the living room with a light blanket draped over her crossed legs and a book in her lap.

She was feeling much better. Well...all except for still feeling pretty awful for how things ended with Hiccup before he left. She shouldn't have said it. This was Hiccup. Worry was practically his middle name.

She'd finally come to the conclusion that she said it because this was the part of marriage that was still taking time getting used to. Astrid was independent. She'd taken care of herself for most of her life because she hated every single nanny her father hired after her mother died. And eventually he stopped hiring them, so she'd just taken care of herself when she got sick or had a bad day, whatever it was.

That was easier for her. It was normal for her.

She wasn't used to someone holding her hair back as she puked or fixing her chicken noodle soup while she sat on the couch next to a pile of used tissues.

But Hiccup, he was the type of guy to do all of that and more for her. And she knew that but it still didn't make it any easier to get used to.

Valka was still here, doing things around the ranch and, thankfully, leaving her alone because she hasn't been alone in weeks and she wondered if maybe that was the reason she was so cranky in the first place.

She spoke too soon though because then her mother-in-law walked into the living room with two small glasses of hot tea in her hands. The older woman set one down on the coffee table in front of her before sitting in the chair that sat in the spot opposite the couch.

Astrid looked up at her and smiled, thanking her for the drink.

"Hopefully it'll help soothe your stomach some," Valka explained and took a slow sip of her own mug, the slurping sound she made echoing throughout the quiet house.

Astrid took a sip of it herself and wished she'd let it cool a little longer when she burnt the tip of her tongue. Setting it down, she returned to her book but it was hard to focus with the silence that was hanging over her and her mother-in-law.

She could almost feel the curious green eyes watching her every move and the thousands of questions she wanted to ask her.

This was really the first time the two have been completely alone without Hiccup nearby. The woman probably had a ton of questions she wanted to ask the girl who married her one and only son on a whim.

"I don't mean to pry…" Valka spoke, leaning forward in her seat and resting her elbows on her knees.

Here we go, Astrid thought and set her book on the couch cushion beside her.

"But how long have you been feeling this way?"

This question took Astrid by surprise. She just sat there staring at her because she was expecting the hard questions. Questions about her mom or the relationship with her father or what it was like growing up in a royal spotlight.

Valka continued after Astrid remained silent, "Hiccup mentioned you'd been feeling really tired lately and I didn't think anything of it until he walked into the kitchen this morning telling me you'd gotten sick."

Astrid noticed she got the same crease in her forehead that Hiccup did when he was worried. She hadn't seen too much resemblance between the two until right now.

"About a week now…" Astrid answered, "Although...I guess I did feel a bit sick our first full day in Iceland. So, probably about two weeks."

Valka sat back in her seat and just replied with a thought-filled hum.

"But I'm fine, really. It's most likely just a mix of the heat and exhaustion from the trip." She explained, trying her best to smooth that worried crease in the woman's forehead.

"That could be it, yes…" Valka trailed off. She opened her mouth to speak but shut it before she could, hesitating to continue.

"What?" Astrid asked.

Her mother-in-law's eyes shifted for a moment but eventually did make contact with her own, "Have you thought about the possibility that you could be...pregnant?"

The world suddenly froze around her. Pregnant?

Astrid's wide eyes the size of blue saucers and her increased breathing must've begun to worry Valka. The woman held her hand out towards the anxious girl, "I didn't mean to scare you, dear...I just thought…"

Astrid stood up from the couch before she could finish her sentence, the blanket falling to a heap in the floor by her feet, "No...no. You didn't scare me," she cleared her throat, "I just need some air."

She hastily walked out the front door and down the couple of front steps. She didn't even notice or care that she was pacing back and forth over dirt and gravel with her bare feet.

Pregnant?

It wasn't...it was possible. It was absolutely possible.

They'd been so busy these last few months that she hadn't been as focused on the measures they should've been taking to prevent beginning a family way before they were ready to.

Then the pacing stopped when Astrid started counting the weeks on her fingers. She'd been so busy that she didn't even realize she was late... really late. There was not one-day last month where she woke up hating all things good in the world, including her sweet husband.

Hiccup.

They hadn't even been married a whole year yet.

They've only known each other for a year.

They were only twenty-two.

They were both busy and overwhelmed by their new roles in Berk and the last thing they needed was to add the new role as parents to the mix.

So, if she was pregnant then this would be the worst timing in the world.

And for one of the first times in her entire life, Astrid had no idea what the hell to do.

She didn't know how to be a mother. She barely even remembered her own mother. And what she wouldn't give to ask her what to do at this very moment.

Astrid gravitated back towards the small home without even realizing that she was doing it until she found her hand on the doorknob. The quiet woman inside wasn't her mother in any way. She wasn't the woman that rode with her down to the beach when she'd had a bad day or taught her how to stand up for herself and braid her hair.

But the woman inside was also her family now. Hiccup had reminded her of that once. And Valka had reminded her of that when she brought her tea just a few moments ago, when she'd pulled her in for a hug when they arrived, and when she just completely accepted her and Hiccup's rushed marriage without one bad word about just how crazy it was.

Astrid strolled back into the living room and when she stood in front of the woman with streaks of grey hair, she crossed her arm over her chest and took a deep breath, "I guess it is possible that I could be..." She couldn't say the word. Saying it was going to make it true and she wasn't sure if she was ready to accept it just yet.

Valka stood up from her spot in the chair, slowly walking to the girl who was obviously anxious and trying her very best to hide it, "Alright, what do you want to do?"

"That's just it...what do I do?"

Valka closed the rest of the distance between them and placed her hand upon her shoulder. Astrid looked back up then. "I think the first thing you need to decide is if you'd like to know the answer today."

That was an easy question, "Yes." She replied, completely certain. She wasn't about to sit around knowing that the answer to the question was one easy pee on a stick away.

Valka nodded once, "Would you like to wait for Hiccup to get back?"

This question was harder. A part of her wanted to wait. For him to be here with her as they found out their future. The other part wanted to just find out and then tell him because this was one conversation they hadn't discussed in complete detail only because they both thought they'd have more time before adding a tiny little Haddock to the mix.

She didn't even know if he'd be excited.

But what if he was so excited at the prospect of starting a family and then it turned out to be some false alarm? She really didn't want to see that disappointed look across his face.

That's when she knew her answer, "No." She'd find out and then if...if it was positive, that's when she'd deal with telling him.

Valka nodded once again. She didn't try to convince her otherwise. She didn't try to persuade her to wait. All she did was grab her car keys by the door, wait for Astrid to slip her shoes on, and then they walked out of the house together.

Her mother-in-law didn't say one word to her and she may have not known that she hated cold drinks, but she seemed to know that silence was exactly what she needed at this moment.

Astrid was back in the tiny bathroom. Except the reason for the twisting and turning in her stomach wasn't because she was about to lose her lunch. No, this was from nerves because she was currently holding a tiny plastic stick in her hands and waiting for the moment of truth. The moment that could completely turn her world upside down.

Her fingers were drumming on the edge of the sink at a rapid pace that matched the exact speed of her pounding heart.

It had only been minutes but it felt like hours waiting for a line - or lines - to appear on the small screen of the test.

And in those minutes, she wasn't thinking about becoming a mother or what she'd do next if a plus sign appeared. She was thinking about...breathing.

Not like the actual breathing exercises you do when you're stressed or anxious (although those would've probably been helpful). No, she was thinking about how her whole life has been this way. One thing right after the other and no room to breathe in between.

It had been…

Lessons.

Studying.

And more lessons because she could be the future Queen and the future Queen doesn't slouch.

Her mother dying.

Dealing with her controlling father and the obsession with power that only increased after her mother's death.

And all of that led to meetings and politics and announcements and faking so many smiles.

But then that eventually led to meeting Hiccup and then marrying Hiccup three months later...

The loud timer on her phone rang, making her jump. Finally deciding to take one of those deep breaths, she looked down at the test still clutched in between her thumb and index finger.

And the next thing she could add to that already long list of completely overwhelming and never-ending events was also becoming a mother.

Ah…soooo I finally revealed what's been going on with dear ol' Astrid. Who was right? LOL so many of y'all were onto me and I loved it.

Too bad Astrid was "sick" because hiccstrid going to a fair together honestly sounds so cute. Haha!

Hope you all enjoyed this next chapter and can't wait to see what you thought. See y'all next chapter!