The Edge
Pairing; Toothless X Hiccup
Setting; Modern AU
Rating; M for Mature
Disclaimer; I do not own the HTTYD or any of the music that is used. Everything belongs to its original creator/artist!
12: Reunion
=Ashley's POV=
[Friday, June 9th, 2016-Dreki Soul Café-11:50 am]
It was unbelievable how time changed things. That's all I could think about while sitting in the weekly hangout spot for my friends and me. We tried to get together once a week at least to talk about where our lives were and how things have been lately. Heather and Ford were married now; Ford proposed to Heather when she graduated college in 2012, and they married a year later after Ford finished his schooling. The wedding was lovely and held on October 19th, 2013 because Heather insisted on a fall wedding. Four months after they married, Heather learned she was one month pregnant. In October on the 5th, Heather gave birth to hers and Ford's son, Kyle Ingerman. Now in 2016, little Kyle was a very active and happy almost two-year-old; he'd was only a year and eight months old, still four months to go until his second birthday.
Daniel Lanvik, Heather's brother, was engaged to be married in August 2016, but he had a two-year-old daughter, Melanie, who was born March 22nd, 2014. Daniel's fiance was a wonderful and beautiful woman named Stephanie Ostberg, very soon to be Lanvik though. Travis was fresh out of a not so great relationship; he'd been with a girl who was big on smoking cigarettes and weed, drinking too. According to Travis, all this girl wanted was money and sex, so when he realized that three weeks ago, he broke up with her. Seth had been in one or two relationships, but nothing ever developed since he was always traveling for his job. Honestly, we haven't gotten see a lot of Seth because of that, that's why today we're all meeting up to see how life has been. For me, it's been great.
Zack and I are still dating, we have been since February 16th, 2012 when he asked me out, and then I went to Harvey's apartment to break off the arrangement we had with one another. I can't believe it's been four years that Zack and I have been together. However, all this happiness to catch up with friends and I remembered that sadly, there was one friend who wouldn't be here today for the weekly get-together; Harvey. Why? Because we hadn't heard from him since that day in May of the year 2012 when he told us to leave after Zack pissed him off, or at least that's what I think happened. I suppose I couldn't blame Harvey for being emotional; according to Sullivan, Harvey was probably already upset because that was the day they held the memorial for their friend who had been killed overseas. However, none of us had heard from Harvey, and what made it worse that he must have changed his number because when we called, it said the number was no longer in service.
"Ashley! Hey," I heard Roslyn call to me. I smiled to greet her, Roslyn was also not in a relationship because she'd been too worried about her brother being with the girl who was using him, but now that Travis was single, perhaps she'd put herself back in the game and find a guy. Who knew?
"Hi, Roz," I hugged her, not long after though, Travis and Seth walked in.
"Hey, Ash. Long time no see," Seth stated as I hugged him.
"How have you been?" I asked him.
"Exhausted. I just got back from Florida with my boss yesterday," Seth admitted.
"What the hell were you doing there?" came Daniel's voice; we looked to see him coming in with his daughter, Melanie, and then right behind those two were Ford and Heather with their son, Kyle.
"Well, about four months ago, I got promoted to personal assistant. So now I'm going on all these trips and never having a minute to breathe," Seth chuckled a bit. "How about all of you?" he asked.
"Ford and I just bought a house, we're moving in next month when the renovations are done," Heather announced.
"That's great," I replied.
"Hey, where's Zack?" Travis asked.
"He'll be here a bit late," I shrugged. "How's life for you two?" I asked the twins.
"We're both good," Roslyn stated, "Looking for a new apartment, though,"
"How are the wedding plans coming for you and Stephanie?" Ford asked Daniel.
"Thankfully, almost all done," Daniel answered. "Steph is already talking about giving little Mel here a baby brother or sister," he added with a chuckle.
"You two gonna have another one?" Heather wondered.
"Eventually, maybe not right away. Melanie keeps us pretty busy, not sure if adding a baby to the mix is a grand idea," Daniel smiled. "What about you and Ford having another one?"
"We are definitely waiting a bit," Ford laughed a little. We were quiet for a few minutes after getting our drinks. Zack showed up ten minutes later and joined us.
"Alright, since no one else is gonna ask this, I will," Travis stated as we looked at him. "Has anyone seen or heard from Harvey?" he questioned.
"The last time I recall seeing him was almost four years ago, that day in the bar," Heather sighed a bit.
"I think that's the last time we all saw him," Roslyn mentioned.
"Yeah, the day they did that tribute for the Logan guy who was killed overseas, and Harvey told us to leave," Zack muttered.
"Zack, don't be that way," I sighed.
"What way, babe? Harvey caught an attitude with me," Zack argued.
"Because you stated it wasn't your place to say, and then said something to tick him off," I rolled my eyes. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter anyway. Harvey's dad mentioned that Harvey was probably a bit emotional over the loss," I added.
"Yeah, that couldn't have been easy to get up there, but man that was an awesome song. I didn't know Harvey could write, play, and sing," Travis said.
"Seth, he's your cousin. Surely you have heard something from your parents or aunt and uncle?" Heather asked as we turned our attention to Seth.
"Honestly, no. The last I heard anything about Harvey was that he was in a relationship, and still working at Dragon's Cove while living above it. Other than that, no, I haven't really kept in contact either," Seth shrugged.
"How long ago was that?" Zack asked.
"I dunno. Harvey and his lover got together on his birthday at the end of February 2013, and…the last message I got from Harvey was in July for my twenty-first birthday. Harvey sent me a text saying; Happy 21st, cuz. Hope all is well. -Harv. I was busy with work and, well, that was it. I barely talked to my parents after that because I'd moved out to be in the city, so I was closer to work," Seth informed.
"Ya know, I recall him mentioning that the bar wasn't doing so well, and that's why he got on us about we couldn't just come there to see him because he was busy trying to keep it going," Ford pointed out.
"That's true. Well, Seth heard from him in May 2013, that's a year later. When did you hear about the relationship thing? Anything about the girl?" Travis asked.
"The last I heard anything about Harvey was August 2013. I knew he was still at Dragon's Cove and had been in a relationship for seven months at that point," Seth stated.
"Well, maybe we should go there again?" Roslyn offered.
"And get yelled at to leave? No thanks, I'm good," Zack muttered.
"Zack, will you stop already? Harvey only asked you to keep your comments regarding his life to yourself," Heather sighed. "And he was right. That was the first time you'd met him, and he was having an off night because of losing his friend. You didn't even know him,"
"Well, I'm gonna go since how I've got some time off to relax after that trip," Seth said.
"We'll come too; it'd be nice to see Harvey again," Ford stated. "I'm sure we can find a babysitter to go tonight. Sunday's were always a quieter day for him,"
"I'll watch Kyle for you," Daniel stated.
"You don't mind?" Heather asked.
"Not at all. The kiddo is my nephew, he can stay with me for a few hours. If you see Harvey, tell him I said hi," Daniel chuckled.
"Thanks, Daniel. Alright, we're in then," Heather smiled.
"I'm down," Travis said as Roslyn nodded.
Zack sighed heavily seeing my face; asking silently if we could go too. "Fine, we'll go. I swear to the Gods, if he gives me a tude this time, I'm knocking him out," Zack said.
"Then it's settled; we'll go around 7:30 or so," Seth told them. I was actually a little excited; I missed my best friend, and I really hoped he was there.
=Normal POV=
[7:40 pm-The Edge]
As the group reached the location; the friends ended up having to park across the street and two blocks down because every bit of off-street parking was being used to accommodate the mass of people flocking to one building that was blaring with music and lights. The seven friends made their way up to Dragon's Cove and got the shock of a lifetime to see how many people were there.
"Wow, I don't remember this place ever being so busy," Zack stated.
"That's because it's not Dragon's Cove; this building is called The Edge Bar & Nightclub, which has to be new because I don't remember this block having a club," Seth mentioned. "Come on, we'll ask someone. Maybe Dragon's Cove relocated," he told them. Nodding at the idea, Seth led them to the front of the building, and they were instantly stopped by a large man wearing the tag of; Sebastian.
"Get in line with the rest," Sebastian told them.
"Sorry, we're just looking for Dragon's Cove; it used to be here," Heather stepped forward with a gentle smile. Sebastian arched a brow and laughed a little as CJ was checking ID's.
"Dragon's Cove has been for two years, three in December," CJ mentioned.
"So, did it move or something?" Travis asked.
"No, that business closed down, and the building was bought by someone else who built this," Sebastian informed. "I'm surprised you didn't know. This joint is the hottest club in the city," he added.
"I don't suppose you know what happened to the workers of Dragon's Cove; I'm looking for my cousin, he was a server," Seth stated.
"The original Dragon's Cove staff remained here; when it went under new ownership, the guy kept the workers because he didn't want to leave them jobless. Who is your cousin? The staff here has all their family members and friends on the VIP list because they visit often," CJ stated walking over.
"My cousin is Harvey Haddock, I'm Seth Jorgenson," Seth said as Sebastian checked over the list.
"You're on the list. Who are the rest of you, I'll see if you're here too. Harvey has a pretty big list," Sebastian stated.
"Uh, I'm Ashley Hofferson, and this is my boyfriend, Zackary Holt," Ashley said.
"Roslyn and Travis Thorston," Rosyln mentioned.
"Ford Ingerman," Ford said.
"Heather Ingerman-formally Lanvik," Heather stated.
"Yeah, you're all here. Except for the Zack fellow, but Harv said each friend could bring one guest, so it's allowed. Head on in and go to the right," CJ informed as he moved the clip to the rope and let them inside. However, as they stepped in; it was an entirely different atmosphere.
"Wow," was all any of them could say while moving to the right and taking everything in around them.
"Oh, there's Storm and Morgan. Kevin is at the bar, and…there's Andy. I don't see Harvey, though," Ashely mentioned.
"Off night?" Ford shrugged.
"Not likely. The bouncer wouldn't have let us in if he knew we wouldn't see him," Seth remarked. Reaching the bar, Seth leaned on the bar and got Andrew's attention; the man ushered over.
"Hey! Long time no see; Harvey's group of friends, right?" Andrew smiled wide.
"Yeah, where is he?" Ford wondered.
"I'll call him down; he's upstairs getting ready for 8 pm, that's when the club opens, and Harvey always kicks it off with a song," Andrew said. "I gotta get back to work, just have a seat in that far booth," Andrew mentioned before getting back to work. The group shrugged and moved to spot while noticing they had a perfect view of the dance floor and stage.
At 8 pm, a loud siren was heard as the customers started screaming and cheering. "Yeah, you all know what time it is!" yelled a voice. The lights went down, but there were a few flashes of happy patrons moving closer to the stage. Finally, the lights changed to show the band on stage.
"Wow, that drummer is hot," Roslyn practically drooled. The music started simple, and then Harvey emerged from the side door on the right of the bar.
"By popular vote; here's Harvey with Cole Swindell's; Ain't Worth The Whiskey!" Andrew called out as everyone started clapping.
"I don't care that you done me wrong because I've already moved. I don't care what his name, girl, it is what it is. I won't waste a dime, or the bartenders time; trying to catch a buzz over the thought of us," Harvey started, and then the music picked up when Andrew handed Harvey a beer.
"But I'll drink to a country song! To another long work week gone. And I'll raise my glass to a long lost buddy I ain't sene. I might stay for one more round, or I might close this place down. But don't think for a second I'm out to drown your memory. Girl, you ain't worth the whiskey," Harvey took a sip of the beer while the music played through.
"It don't matter what your friends say, they never liked me anyway. So if they see me drunk in this bar, it ain't over a broken heart," Harvey continued as there was more cheering when Harvey ran down and jumped on the stage.
"Cuz I'm drinking to a country song. To another long work week gone. And I'm raising my glass to a long lost buddy I ain't seen. I might stay for one more round, or I might close this place down. But don't think for a second I'm out to drown your memory. Baby, you ain't worth the whiskey," Harvey took a breath while Brett was rocking out the guitar solo.
"Cheers to a good country song! To another long work week gone! And yeah, I'm raising my glass to those saving our ass overseas!" Harvey raised his beer up as did most everyone else with a proud smile, even some of the soldiers in the building. "I might stay for one more round. Hell, I might close this place down. But don't think for a second I'm out to drown your memory. No, don't think for one second I'm out to drown your memory! Girl, you ain't worth the whiskey. No! Baby, you ain't worth the whiskey!" The guitars faded out as Harvey took a bow, then a drink before high-fiving the band members and smiling.
The friends watched as a somewhat familiar man came over and helped Harvey down, sadly, they couldn't remember his name because they'd only seen him once and it was the day Harvey told them to leave because he was working. The man whispered something to Harvey as he suddenly looked a bit surprised, then towards the area they were sitting in. Finally, Harvey nodded before walking right to where they were locating.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Harvey asked with a smile.
"Ya think? Harv, it's been four years, man," Travis stated.
"Sorry, life happened," Harvey motioned around to the club. "Came to check out the club?"
"To be honest, we didn't even know it was here until tonight," Heather said.
"We came because we get together every weekend to hang out, and always end up talking about what happened to you," Ashley remarked.
"Well, I'm here and have been," Harvey shrugged.
"This isn't where you've been. This is…The Edge something or other, Harvey. This isn't Dragon's Cove, which is where we thought this was," Seth mentioned now.
"What happened to the old place?" Zack asked.
"Remember the last time we saw one another? When the bar was doing that tribute to Logan, and I mentioned the bar had some ups and downs?" Harvey asked as they vividly remembered that day.
"Yeah, you kicked us out," Roslyn reminded.
"You took it the wrong way, guys. I just meant you couldn't come in to wait around for me. If you were coming to drink and have some snacks and we could socialize in between, that was all right with me. You saw how busy it was, topped off with mourning Logan, it was just a bad day," Harvey sighed.
"So, I take it the bar failed. The bouncers outside mentioned that Dragon's Cove has been gone three years in December?" Ashley inquired.
"Yeah. Happened September 2013; Andy called all of us in and told us that we did all we could, but the bar alone wasn't making the money it needed, that he had to close and sell it. We tried to give him other ideas, but it wasn't in the budget to do, so he sold it to someone who thought a nightclub would do well in this spit. By October 2013, the deal was done, and renovations started. A week before Christmas of that same year, it became all this," Harvey explained.
"And the new owner kept all of you from Dragon's Cove?" Ford wondered.
"Yeah, I guess the guy who bought the building had been a regular, and he didn't want to lose such a good team that treats one another like family," Harvey stated.
"Owner seems like a great guy; buying this place and turning it into the hottest nightclub around? That's what the bouncer remarked when he said he was surprised we hadn't known about it," Heather smiled. "And letting all of you stay, that was sweet of him to do," Roslyn said next.
"So, is this section for the staff's family and friends? We honestly didn't think we'd be on your VIP list," Ashley remarked gently.
"Nah, this is just where I put my visitors. The rest of the staff don't let their family come here; I'm allowed because my dad happens to be the mayor. Why did you assume you wouldn't be on my list? I know we lost contact, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I figured one of these days you'd come around and want to see me again. Sorry, that I haven't been around much. Got a new number, and as you can see how busy this place is. I literally have no time for anything," Harvey chuckled a bit.
"Your boss must really like you," Zack retorted.
"Yeah, we're kind of close," Harvey shrugged.
"Really? Can we meet him? The new owner that is?" Seth wondered. Harvey suddenly grinned before leaning on the side of the booth.
"You just did," Harvey told them as they become confused as to what he meant. "Guys, you're looking at him," he laughed a little. It was now that their eyes widened, understanding what he was talking about. Himself. Harvey was the owner of The Edge Bar & Nightclub.