And now part two of what was originally Ch23. The majority of the big long chapter I split was the wonderful work of co-writer, and I had so much fun reading it for the first time.

Remember! If you haven't checked this fic in a few days/weeks, this is part two and you need to go back and read Ch23 for this to make sense.

-HTTYD-

The moment Astrid had entered the block their flat was in, she'd known that coming here had been a bad idea. Just like the last time, when she'd crept into their home to steal their hair not long ago, she felt tense and sick at the idea of going back there. And this time, it would be so much worse. Because they would be there. And their parents, too. How was she supposed to live through countless hours like that?

Ok, not countless, but anything more than zero was too much for Astrid.

And she'd been right. Seeing them, talking to them, being held by them... every single second felt like a knife twisting in her heart. They were just as friendly as always and showed no resentment for her 'ghosting' them. As if it didn't matter to them at all, as though they could just forget what happened. The logical part of her mind tried to argue that they couldn't let anything show with their parents around, but that part wasn't strong enough to reason with the emotional part of her mind today. All she saw was painful confirmation that it didn't matter to them whether she was part of their life or not.

But then things happened so fast, changing everything. She was relatively proud of how easily she'd dodged the wine, but of course, that sentiment hadn't lasted long. That scent. That intense smell of pasta and sauce and fish and cheese, usually enough to make her mouth water, had been too much for her delicate stomach. And now she was here, puking her guts out and with her brothers on either side of her, touching and caressing her gently, comforting and caring for her.

Despite everything, being here with them was wonderful, and she felt too weak to fight against this. She knew that she could claim to have a stomach flu, to use her sickness as an excuse to leave, to go back to her room and curl up into a ball again. But she had no strength left to pretend, to resist. She felt awful and they were here, so close, worried for her, caring for her. Maybe it wasn't in the way she wanted it to be, but she just didn't have it in her to hold back anymore. With a small, pathetic noise she leant against Eret who was warm and strong and supporting her, and glanced up at Hiccup.

"That's not the problem."

Astrid reassured him weakly, even though it was only partially true. It was the fault of his stuffed shells, one of her favourite dishes in the world, that she'd ended up hunched over their toilet. But it likely wasn't the way he thought.

"It's… not that I don't like or appreciate them. It's just…"

She trailed off, biting her lip. What should she tell him? What could she tell them? That it was because of her stubbornly enduring morning sickness that the rich scent had thrown her already nervous stomach off?

With Eret's arms so comforting around her and Hiccup's concerned gaze practically burning on her skin, something inside Astrid broke. She couldn't do it, couldn't keep lying to them. Not in this moment. And maybe, it was better that way…

She slumped further into Eret's embrace as the last bit of strength left her. And with his arms tightening around her and Hiccup reaching for her hands and squeezing them, she could pretend, just for a minute, that they cared more for her than just as their sister or their bedmate.

And who knew? Maybe it was even true. Maybe if she told them everything, not just about the pregnancy but about her feelings for them too? Maybe they did feel the same and that dream of happy domestic bliss could become reality after all. It was unlikely, probably impossible, but the idea still made her feel just a little better. And maybe she would tell them. Not now, not as long as their parents were there. But once they were gone and she could talk openly to her brothers again, get it all out. Maybe, things weren't so bleak after all...

"There was nothing wrong with the food itself."

Her voice was barely above a whisper but more stable now than before, even as she closed her eyes before she went on. She didn't want to see their real reaction, not yet, wanted to pretend that it would all definitely be okay for just a bit longer. With her free hand loosely resting over her still-flat stomach, she continued.

"Not the food, it's me, who… it's because… I'm pregnant."

There, it was out. No going back now.

Two nearly identical gasped were audible, the only immediate or noticeable reaction besides their hands twitching where they held her.

"You… what?" Hiccup sounded tense, surprised – but not as shocked as she'd expected "How? I mean…"

Eret seemed more composed, even if his arms around her were shaking a little.

"But.. since when? And who…"

He broke off, and Astrid realised that they hadn't fully understood. That she had to explain more. She whimpered but forced herself to open her eyes again, to look at them.

"It's not been long," she said, alternatingly holding their gazes as she tried to convey more through her eyes than her words would say, and it helped hide that she struggled to look at them "only a few weeks. Since… since Heather's birthday."

This time, there were no gasps. Only total silence, thick enough to be cut with a knife. She could tell that they understood her now though, their eyes widening and the hands still holding her tightening.

"Oh, fuck!"

Eret eventually broke the silence. He and Hiccup shared one of their infuriatingly communicative looks before he shifted, lifting her up and turning her until he was in front of her. His hands on her waist still somewhat held her upright and she had to admit that it was easier to look at each other and talk now. But she missed his embrace, holding on even tighter to Hiccup's hand in return.

"Gods, Astrid… why haven't you said anything?"

Hiccup inquired, his voice strained. Astrid shrugged, unsure what to make of their reactions. She wished she could understand their looks just as well as they understood each other, wished that she knew what was on their minds now. That there was the faintest hint they were anything but horrified, or... just something.

"What does it matter?" she asked, dropping her head and gratefully hiding behind her hair again "it happened and now this baby exists. And… and we already know that there will be no playing happy families for this child. I… just hope the Sami genes won't be too obvious, because that would be hard to explain away..."

She chuckled weakly, pathetically. Gods, how she hoped they would contradict her. If they told her now that there could be a happy family, that her dream of domestic bliss could come true, that they… that they loved her just like she loved them…

But they didn't. Instead, there was another long moment of silence, the twins undoubtedly silently communicating again, before Eret asked something Astrid wasn't quite prepared for.

"You… want to keep it?"

"And raise the child alone?"

Hiccup added seamlessly. They sounded... weird.

Not emotionless weird, more as if there were too many emotions jumbled inside them and they were fighting to hold them back. Was it anger? Disappointment? Were they disgusted at her for not getting rid of this unwanted offspring that they'd insisted was never an option? Were they resenting Astrid for it, somehow? And Hiccup had gone right to her raising the child alone, as though them being involved wasn't a possibility.

In a way, she was suddenly glad that she didn't know what they were thinking. She rubbed her stomach, and nodded.

"Yes" she whispered, defeated "that's the plan."

Heaving a great sigh, Valka let her fork sink back onto the plate and threw yet another glance in the direction her kids had disappeared to. It made her husband chuckle, even as he shook his head at her in that long-suffering, exasperated way of his.

"You do know they're old enough to deal with their own problems, right?"

He teased her before taking a sip from his wine. Oh, he just knew her too well, didn't he?

"I know," she sighed. "But Astrid really didn't look well, and I-"

"–want to mother her, I get it" again, he shook his head, amusement dancing in his eyes "I'm certain that if they needed any help, the boys would have let us know. But I also know you won't relax til you're sure. So off you go and check on Astrid too, if that's what you need to do to calm down love."

He smirked, and Valka couldn't resist sticking her tongue out at the elder Eret petulantly. It made his smirk turn into a grin which made her smile too, before she turned serious again.

"Yes, I will. I know they probably don't need it, but I need to know my children are alright. Especially given how reclusive Astrid has been lately..."

Her husband nodded with an approving grunt but stayed otherwise silent, so Valka didn't waste any more time and immediately went to her children, heartbeat anxious for reasons she could not define. As she'd expected by the colour of Astrid's face, they all seemed to be in the bathroom, semi-hushed voices still reaching her through the half-closed door. Valka was about to knock and push the door open when she heard something that gave her pause.

"Oh, fuck!"

Frowning, she hesitated, clenched hand raised but not yet touching the door. While her children did have the vocabulary of drunk sailors despite her despairing over them learning colourful curses from family members, that didn't explain the weight of tension in her sons voice just then. Eret was easily the most relaxed, laid-back of the three, and yet...

Valka hadn't meant to eavesdrop on her children, but Hiccup's equally anxious reply stalled her again.

"Gods, Astrid… why haven't you said anything?"

Her heart was pounding, worried for her little girl; what had she missed hearing that had her sons so very worried for her?

Astrid's next words made Valka wish she'd gone in already. Or perhaps never gone after them in the first place to hear them. She wasn't sure which.

"What does it matter? It happened and now this baby exists. And… and we already know that there will be no playing happy families for the kid. I just really hope the Sami genes won't be too obvious, because that would be tough to explain away..."

Valka felt as if someone had ripped the ground from under her, her mind quickly conjuring terrible pictures painted by her daughters words.

Astrid was pregnant. That in itself wasn't particularly worrisome to Valka. She knew that her daughter was a self-determined modern woman, and Valka also knew she would support and help her daughter in every situation, including having a baby. No, the pregnancy wasn't what made Valka's blood run cold.

Sami genes…

There was only one possible way she could think of how Astrid's child could have Sami genes, but… but that couldn't be, could it? No, it mustn't be true...

Without really noticing, she stumbled a few steps away from the door as memories came to the forefront of her mind, some making new and horrific sense all of a sudden as they fit themselves to the awful ideas circling her mind.

Like how abruptly Astrid's behaviour had changed when they'd all been home for the holidays. How tense she'd been that one morning, when they – she and Eret – had encountered her so early in the hallway. How disturbed her daughter had been and how she'd backed away from Eret as he'd passed her; backing away from the man who'd raised her as his own daughter – but who was not her biological father.

Valka felt like she might be physically sick.

No. She couldn't believe it. Didn't want to even entertain the idea. Her husband hadn't hurt their… well, her daughter like that. He couldn't have...

And yet… that was the only explanation, wasn't it? The Sami people were not numerous, and the few they were were a tight-knit community, the sort where everyone knew each other. So she knew there were no other Sami in the local area, probably not even in the entire city. And it had been over a year since they'd been to visit her husbands relatives overseas, so there was no chance Valka would have to go hunt down one of her in laws.

And it would explain everything about Astrid's behaviour since the holidays, how reclusive she'd become, and how there clearly had been something bothering her which she hadn't felt comfortable talking about with even her mother, when before Astrid left for university, they'd told each other everything. Valka knew when Astrid had lost her virginity, she'd bought her daughter her first condoms - if there was someone she was happy with, Valka would have known about any potential baby-daddy in the picture.

No matter how much Valka wanted to reject this idea as ridiculous, as complete and utter impossible madness... she couldn't. A small, near-silent part of her had always wondered why Eret had so easily agreed to raising another man's child as his own; their relationship had been rocky at that point, as evidenced by the break that led to her falling pregnant with Astrid, but he'd not even seemed to mind.

And no matter how plausible and convincing the Sami way of thinking about community – about siida, building a family on love and choice as much as blood - was on that point, a small, ugly part of her mind raised some nasty questions now. Questions that, even though she didn't want to even consider them, needed to be answered.

Swallowing hard against another wave of nausea, Valka returned to her husband, leaving Astrid in the care of her brothers for the moment, somewhere she thought Astrid very safe. She couldn't do anything for her daughter right now, not without gaining certainty first. Eret Sr was still sat at the table. He'd finished eating in her absence, seeming pretty relaxed. He looked up as soon as she returned, and the amused twinkle in his eyes seemed to mock her. How could he be so calm? It was only a need to hear the truth that stopped her starting the conversation by hitting him with something large and heavy..

"Val, you look as if you've seen an unquiet spirit" he grunted with another amused shake of his head, before he seemed to notice just how serious Valka was "what is it? How's Astrid? Is everything okay with the lass?"

Valka's hands curled into fists so tight she felt her nails dig into her palms. If what she feared were true… then how dare he ask after Astrid's well-being so casually?

"No, she's not okay!" she hissed, closely watching his reaction through narrowed eyes "She's pregnant."

Eret sobered up in an instant, paling slightly.

"She… what?" he shook his head, as though in disbelief "that… No. Are you sure? She's always been so pragmatic and sensible, I can't believe–"

Anger rose sharply inside Valka at this display of convenient obliviousness, and how dare he act as though it would have been Astrid's fault!

"Oh, can't you?" she hissed "so you're trying to tell me you have no idea how that happened?"

Eret reeled back at her tone, staring at her.

"What are you talking about? You'd know more about if she were dating than I would."

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" gods, she was shaking with the rage now, absolutely livid with him. "We both noticed how her behaviour changed over the holidays. Don't pretend you don't remember, we talked about it! But I've been too blind, too stupid to see. How could you do that to my daughter?"

"WHAT?" Eret exclaimed, rising to his feet so fast he knocked the table with his knees, hands landing on its surface as he stared at her in disbelief. "Are you implying that–"

"I'm not implying anything!" she interrupted him angrily "Her child has Sami genes. And we both know there aren't any other Sami men around who could be that child's father. So don't lie to me. It all fits, how afraid she was and how she wouldn't talk to me. I won't ask you again; what have you done to my daughter?"

For a short moment, his eyes grew wide in shock before they narrowed, that maddening amused twinkle long gone and replaced by steely rage.

"I didn't do anything to her," he snarled "how could you even think that? She's my daughter too!"

"Except that she isn't!"

Valka hadn't meant to yell, but she couldn't help it. Thinking about what Astrid must have gone through clouded her mind and made it impossible to form a clear thought. Her girl, her little baby girl…

Eret's fist slamming down onto the table tore her out of her thoughts again as plates and glasses rattled, the anger bristling in his eyes almost scaring her. Had that been what Astrid saw?

"No," he growled. "I didn't do anything to her, and I will not let this accusation stand!"

Abruptly, he turned and stomped off, leaving Valka startled for a beat or two.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She demanded as she followed him. An unnecessary question, as he was heading right where Valka had been only minutes before. But she wasn't going to just let him go right in to Astrid.

"I'm going to solve this misunderstanding, right here right now," he replied in the same clipped, angry tone as before "I didn't molest my own daughter, or whatever else you're thinking, and I will not let you taint me with such an accusation!"

Cursing under her breath, Valka caught up to him. When he said it like that, Valka did find herself sort of convinced by how adamant his tone was, found herself torn between what she'd heard from Astrid and the fact she'd been with her husband for over twenty years and never seen any hint of inappropriate behaviour toward Astrid. But then, what other explanation was there?

She was only a step behind her husband as he reached the bathroom and burst inside without knocking or hesitating. Inside, all three of their kids were knelt on the tiled floor, shocked expressions on Hiccup's and Eret's pale faces while Astrid looked utterly forlorn, with arms wrapped around her slender body and her face hidden behind her hair. The sight nearly broke her heart.

"Is it true? You're pregnant?"

Eret Sr. didn't waste any time, his voice demanding and angry. It made Astrid whimper, even as she nodded in confirmation. The twins reacted differently though, taking something like protective stances with Hiccup placing an arm around her shoulders and Eret moving slightly so he was knelt between Astrid and their father. It made something inside Valka grow tight, seemingly confirming her fears - did they know something Valka didn't? Had Astrid confided in her brothers?

"And who is the father?"

Eret Sr. asked in an even sharper tone. This time, Astrid had no answer for him, only curled in on herself even tighter, as though she could disappear if she tried hard enough.

"This isn't funny, Astrid. Tell me who the father is, child."

If Valka could think straight, she'd have chided her husband for the way he was speaking to Astrid, but she was as desperate for an answer as he was.

"I… I don't know."

Astrid eventually sobbed; Valka hadn't even noticed she was crying, hidden behind her hair as she was and the sound tugged at something in her chest. She wanted to go to Astrid, but both Eret Sr and Jr were in her way.

I don't know was not the answer Eret Sr. had wanted, and it certainly didn't satisfy him enough to stop asking.

"What do you mean, you don't know? Since you already know it has Sami genes, you have to know who the father is."

"B-but I d-don't!"

Astrid whimpered, visibly shaking now despite Hiccup's arm around her, her hand clutching his so tightly Valka could see her knuckles standing stark and white against her skin.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Eret Sr. cursed, his anger having grown into clear rage now "I want an answer. Now! Who is that child's father?"

His yelling was followed by a moment of silence, the only sound being Astrid's sobbing, before finally an answer came - though not from where either of them had expected.

After sharing a quick glance with his brother, Eret stood from where he'd been kneeling. His movements were eerily calm as he made a step toward his father, placing himself even more solidly between him and Astrid.

"It could be me."

He said in a firm voice, his eyes meeting and holding his father's gaze even as his hands at his sides were trembling.

"And if it's not him, it's me."

Came Hiccup's voice from behind him. He was still kneeling next to Astrid, still had his arm loosely around her shoulders, but he, too, had straightened up and was meeting his father's eyes.

For the second time today, Valka felt as if the ground was giving out under her. In utter shock, she stared at her children, all of them, unable to form a single coherent thought, to feel anything. What in Odin's name…

That idea had been so completely alien that Valka's mind had gone right to accusing her husband, when all the while it had been her sons that got Astrid pregnant. And she didn't show any signs of being afraid of them, still held by Hiccup in a way that Valka was starting to see in a whole new light. They weren't admitting to hurting Astrid. Whatever happened, it didn't seem as though it had happened against Astrid's will.

"It could be... good gods, tell me this is all some sick joke!"

Valka wasn't sure what to think. On the one hand, her consenting to sex with her own brothers was slightly better than the idea she'd been raped by her father. On the other hand, she'd been having sex with her brothers. Not really something Valka ever expected to be dealing with.

And that still didn't explain Astrid's behaviour recently. She wasn't showing, so Valka doubted she'd fallen pregnant over the holidays, when she'd been so jumpy and sad and scared, withdrawing into herself more and more.

"It's not."

Astrid's voice was so small they mightn't have heard it if they weren't all squeezed into a bathroom really not meant to hold five fully grown adults. Valka ached for how she held herself, as though trying to hold herself together, to stop the shakes that wracked her frame.

"And there was your mother accusing me of doing something awful to you, when all the while it was- how could you do that to her?"

One look at her sons faces told Valka all she needed to know; they hadn't done anything to Astrid, they'd done something with her. Her husband saw it too, and he was shaking for completely different reasons to Astrid.

"It wasn't like that!"

"Then by all means tell me what it was like, because you had better start explaining yourselves now!"

Wiping at her face and clearly fighting to get herself under some control, Astrid turned red, puffy eyes to Eret Sr.

"Dad-"

"Don't you dare call me that!"

Despite everything, Valka reacted on instinct when she saw the way Astrid recoiled from her father.

"Eret!"

Despite Valka's attempt to stop her husband before he said something he'd regret, Astrid seemed to have hit the limit of emotional battering she could take. With what seemed to be her last bit of strength, she lurched to her feet, shaking Hiccup off her and darting around Eret Sr.

"Astrid, wait!"

Eret Jr called after her, but Astrid was too fast. Before Valka's brain could kick in to try and stop her, Astrid had dodged her and bolted out of the crowded bathroom. Both Eret and Hiccup immediately made attempts to follow her, but their father shoved them both back forcefully, effectively barring them from getting out.

"Oh, no, you don't!" he snarled. "You stay here and answer me. What in Nidhogg's forsaken name were you thinking? She's your sister! You were supposed to protect her, not be something she needed protecting from!"

Valka didn't hear much more of what her husband was saying. A part of her wanted to stay and… she wasn't even sure what she wanted to do. Protect and support her sons, then probably yell at them herself too. This wasn't a situation she'd ever thought she'd find herself in. But it had taken only one pleading look from Hiccup to make her see reason. Right now, the twins didn't need her, at least not as much as Astrid did.

It put paid to the words of her husband; Hiccup was choosing Astrid over them, sending Valka to take care of her rather than stay to protect himself and Eret.

With long strides, Valka ran after her daughter, out of the flat as she'd heard the door shut and down the stairs.

"Astrid," she called after her, able to hear her hasty steps slam on the stairs a couple of floors below "Astrid, wait!"

But Astrid didn't wait; if anything, she ran faster. Cursing under her breath, Valka followed her down the stairs and out of the building. To the left along the sidewalk where she spotted her, already a good distance away. Valka ran as fast as she could, her long legs making up for her lack of training. She prefered hiking to running and while she was reasonably fit, Valka was no sprinter. But with half a foot in height on Astrid, her stride length helped to close the distance.

And if her daughter had simply followed the sidewalk, Valka might have caught Astrid.

But Astrid didn't run straight ahead. She stopped for just a second, head twitching but not quite turning and Valka knew she was listening to gauge how close her mother was. The next second she had turned into a sidestreet, and when Valka reached the corner to turn that way too, Astrid had vanished.

"Oh, gods..."

Valka choked back the emotions waiting to surge, wringing her hands for just a few seconds before she went on. She ran down the sidestreet, hoping to spot Astrid somewhere but her efforts were fruitless, no distinct head of blonde hair jumping out down any of the alleys that branched off. Astrid knew the streets far better, and Valka knew her daughter. If Astrid didn't want to be found, she wasn't going to be.

Fighting to catch her breath, Astrid leaned against the wall of a narrow gap between two houses. A large dumpster was hiding her from being spotted and even though she hadn't gotten as far as she wanted yet, she felt safe enough to make a pause. She didn't have the strength to go on anyway.

Gods, what had just happened? She'd been afraid that meeting her family today might not be the best idea. But the reality had been so much worse. Not only had she not been able to act normal in any way, they all knew now. They all knew that she'd fallen pregnant. Hel, it was going to be amazing if none of the neighbours had heard something. Her parents knew what she'd done, that she'd had sex with her brothers. And the reactions… they had somehow been worse than anything she'd imagined. Except maybe her parents calling the police to turn her in. Though there was still time for that.

With a desperate sob, she sank down the stone wall, face resting in her hands as she sobbed, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

All secret hopes and dreams that by some miracle, Eret and Hiccup might return her feelings had gotten crushed thoroughly. They had followed her, yes, had even cared and worried for her... but apparently only as her brothers, as the caring men they were in general. They hadn't reacted to her comment about becoming a happy family; on the contrary, they'd only reacted with disbelief and shock that she wanted to keep the child at all.

Their child!

The pain over that realisation, that they'd didn't even want her to have their child and rather would get rid of it, was a painful stab in her heart. But no matter how much that hurt, it was only half the pain she felt.

"Don't you dare call me that!"

Her father's words still rang in her ears, clear as crystal. No, not her father's… Another trembling sob escaped her at that thought. He wasn't her father anymore, didn't want to be her father anymore. And she couldn't even blame him. She would never forget the expressions of plain shock, probably even disgust, on her parents' faces after the truth had been out.

And it was all her fault. She'd been the one to kiss Hiccup that first time and she'd been the one to go to them, driven by curiosity. Who'd gone back for more, who hadn't been able to stay away. All her fault and now she'd lost everything for it…

She didn't know how long she sat there, crying behind the dumpster before she regained at least some clarity of mind again. With shaking fingers, she fumbled for her phone and called the only person she could think of who didn't hate her. The only person she had left.

"Astrid!" Heather sounded almost as anxious as Astrid felt "Are you alright? How did it go?"

Before Astrid could form a reply, another sob tore itself from her throat, probably telling Heather more than any words could anyway.

"It was horrible," she eventually got out. "Gods, I… I don't know what to do. They know everything." She sobbed again, realising something else in that moment. "I c-can't even go back to my dorm; they'll be looking for me."

She choked out, followed by more sobbing.

Gods, what was she supposed to do? She'd just lost her entire family in one fell swoop. Her father… no, the man who'd raised her – had made that clear. She had no family anymore. And whatever Hiccup, Eret, or their mother wanted of her now, Astrid was sure that she didn't want it. She didn't want them to find her, didn't want to hear more yelling, didn't want to receive another scolding, as though what happened was just some mistake to be swept away when Astrid apologised enough. She didn't want them to tell her that she had to end her pregnancy, that is was unnatural to carry her brothers' child.

"Where am I supposed to go now?"

She wasn't even aware that she'd asked that question out loud until Heather answered her unexpectedly.

"Don't worry, I've got you. I… I was worried it might come to something like this. For now, you can go to Dagur's; I already talked to him. He has a spare pull out sofa bed where you can stay for a while. I'll meet you there and bring some of your stuff over."

Astrid forced herself to her feet, scrubbing at her face and trying to breathe normally. She cradled her belly with one hand as she thanked Heather and said she'd head over. She could break down in private later. For now, she just needed to get away.

-HTTYD-

This chapter is still pretty hefty even with the split.