Sorry for the long delays. I have been trying to get back to these unfinished stories but the fog is in on a few of these. We were moving, unpacking, and getting settled. Still getting settled but almost done. Honestly, I cannot wait to decorate more and paint. We've gotten some rugs, pulled out some of the old decorations we had on shelves, but that has been the most of it. In the middle of the move we had to say goodbye to our little Odie kitty. He had feline leukemia (he was born with it) and sadly his body was just done. He became anemic, and even though we tried it was clear he was just done. We did acquire a stray this past week. I lived in the neighborhood previously, and my soul cat came from this same neighborhood. We had a neighborhood kitty take a liking to our porch, and he disappeared randomly so we thought something happened to him. He returned with an injured leg. He went to the vet, they treated him, and we decided to bring him inside. He's loving his new life right now. I don't suspect he will make his way outside anytime soon…He is living in total bliss right now.

Anyways, I am hoping you like this next chapter.

….

T/W - teenage bullying, abuse and fighting

Hiccup remained at home for the next two weeks doing home study. Mr. Bryce was the only one of his teachers that took the time to check in on him to make sure he was doing all right. Of course, that was partly because he was trying to get Hiccup to enter another writing contest. Hiccup hadn't placed in the prior years, but this contest was more of an open subject than any of the prior ones.

"You can write about anything you want to," Mr. Bryce told him.

Hiccup declined initially, but out of some boredom with being at home, he started writing a small fantasy novella about a boy who found a dragon egg and helped it hatch, and then had to protect it from people who were trying to poach it. He shrugged once he was done editing it, said, "Why not?" to himself, and submitted it to the contest email.

"Better to say you tried than wish you had," his father told him.

"I doubt anything will come of it," Hiccup told him as they drove back from the prosthesis.

Hiccup had gotten very lucky. Even though he was fitted for a brand new prosthetic, the specialist had rushed the order and had it done in less than two weeks. They'd just spent well over four hours at the office to finalize the fit, but his specialist wanted to get him back in school sooner than later.

"It is your senior year, after all," the specialist said to him.

Hiccup smiled nervously. As much as he was tired of gimping around the house and relying on his father to help him, he did not want to go back to school. Even though Astrid assured him that everything had quieted down in his absence, and that people bringing up the incident had dwindled very quickly, the thought of making eye contact with both Brock and Brody made his stomach turn.

"Tuff and Ruff have been asking off and on how you are doing, and Jacob and Norah." Track was about to start back up, and he knew Jacob and Norah were hoping he'd be able to come back to track for one final time. With the incident, he knew that was not going to be possible. He hadn't even asked his father if he could, because it was going to require another fitting and he knew a small fortune was just spent yet again on this new leg.

Upon arriving back to the house, Hiccup saw Astrid sitting on their porch swing. She was staring into her lap, and when she saw them pull up a smile came to her face. She'd been reading a book while waiting on them to arrive back from his appointment.

Hiccup glanced at the clock. It was after six. She should have been home for dinner.

"Astrid's here," he said more to himself than his father.

"She said she was coming to pick you up," Mr. Vast said. "I thought you knew."

Hiccup shook his head, and as they parked she approached the car to assist him.

"This is a surprise," he said to her, having a difficult time keeping the smile from his face.

"Well, I wanted to take you to celebrate," she said, getting into the back seat to grab his crutches.

"What are we celebrating?" Hiccup asked.

"Your new freedom!" she said. "I mean, you can't tell me you haven't been dying to get out and go for a walk."

Hiccup heard his father start to say something, but he stopped. A pit was forming inside his stomach. He didn't want to tell her no, that was not in the cards today. But, he knew he physically couldn't do it. He was not only worn out, but from the constant adjustments and trying on the tweaked parts of the prosthetic, Hiccup was more or less planning on going into the house, taking some pain reliever and just settling down for the evening.

Then, he saw the look on Astrid's face. It was as though realization just hit her like a ton of bricks.

"I remember now," she said quietly.

It was here that his father took his leave and headed towards the house to open it up for them.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said to her. "I'd love to, but - "

"No, no, let's get you inside, shall we?" she said, a smile coming to her face again. She helped him get situated and walked along side him towards the house, where he went straight towards the bathroom. It was then she knew what to do, and it wasn't five minutes later he was in his shower chair letting his nub soak in some Epsom salt water, and she was sitting on the toilet seat taking a gander at the new leg.

"This is pretty snazzy," she said.

Hiccup couldn't help but smile as he swallowed down the pain reliever with a cold glass of water his father had just brought him.

"This stuff really does fascinate, you, doesn't it, Astrid?" Mr. Vast asked.

She seemed embarrassed suddenly, but it quickly left. "I wish I'd been able to go see how it's fitted."

"You might be in luck in a few months, then," he responded. "Once school is out Hiccup has to go spend a day at the facility."

"Dad - " Hiccup's palm went to his face. "We just got home, I haven't really had a chance to update her on anything."

"I'll leave you to it, then," he said. "In the meantime, I am going to go pick up a couple of pizzas. Katherine is coming over to review one of the cases with me. Pepp and sausage okay with you both?"

They both nodded in response.

"Astrid, I know I am leaving but you have full permission to assist him back into his room if needed, okay?"

Astrid blushed then. "O-okay."

Hiccup's face met his palm again. "D-dad!"

It was then he left.

"Sorry about him," Hiccup said. "He's just covering the basics." They heard the front door close then, and this was how they knew they were home alone.

A moment of silence went by before Hiccup brought the cold water to his lips again, the clanking of the ice in the glass the only thing keeping them from sitting in silence.

"Sorry to ruin your plans," Hiccup said to Astrid. "A walk in the park sounded wonderful."

"No, babe, that was my fault. I clearly did not think it all through and when I saw the look on your face, I knew."

"Was I that obvious?" he asked her, setting his glass down on the seat beside him.

Astrid placed the prosthetic down, and shook her head. "No - I honestly just had a moment of realization. For starters you just spent most of your day at the facility, plus all of the travel time." She sighed. "I know you try to hide things, but you had a small grimace on your face."

Hiccup sighed, and lifted his leg up to look at the tender spots, but Astrid came over and placed her hand over his knee, gently forcing him to keep soaking his limb.

"It's all right," she said. "Please don't feel bad."

"I do," he said.

"Don't," she responded again. "Now, tell me about this full day you need to stay at the facility…"

For the next half hour Hiccup told her about the study that his prosthesis asked Hiccup to be a part of. While he explained it to her, he ran some warm water to refresh the now cooled, and once that cooled he let the water out and Astrid added some more salt to the water, running her hand into the bottom of the tub to get it to dissolve while she sat on the floor and listened.

"Since I am over eighteen now, I guess it qualified me for the study. So, they asked me and I thought, why not?"

"So it's testing out some new technology?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "I get to keep this prosthetic but they want to try fitting me for a new one and it's completely free with the trial. If it doesn't work I will at least have this one and I can leave some feedback. On the flip side, if it does work out better I can keep going with the study and keep using the prosthetic without charge. And, if and when I need an upgrade the next one is half off provided the technology works out for me."

Astrid smiled. "That sounds exciting."

A shy smile crossed Hiccup's face. "I already asked him if he would mind if I brought you along so you could see how it's made and what all goes into it since you want to study it in college."

"Oh, Hiccup - "Astrid was beaming.

"Dad kinda ruined that surprise by dropping it to you."

"No, no, it's wonderful all the way around! I am really excited for you!"

Even though Hiccup wanted to just pack up his school bag for the following day and head to bed, once his father brought home the pizza for dinner, he and Astrid had dinner with his father and Katherine, then spent another hour together before Astrid said she should be heading home. It was well after eight, and her mother had text her indicating to her it was time to come home for the night.

"It is getting late," Hiccup said. Although he wanted to go to bed, he wasn't exactly wanting Astrid to leave. They'd sat on the couch talking off and on, while randomly watching some bad television show for background noise. While they talked and did that, he was enjoying and snuggles on the couch. It really was the first time they'd been able to get cozy together since the incident at the diner. Although he was still a little sore he was managing through it.

Astrid showed herself out for the evening, leaving Hiccup to get ready his things together for the following day, and so he could settle into bed. Lying against his pillows instantly felt calming. Even though the physical stress melted away then, the mental stress was rolling in like a blanket.

Tomorrow he would have to see everyone after missing over two weeks of classes, and have to deal with a few select teachers asking him as soon as he'd enter the classroom for his doctors' notes (even though his father emailed them electronic copies once they were in hand). One in particular always wanted to see the original and study it as badly as his father did like a special piece of evidence. Then, he was sure the stares and then the questions would begin.

The bruise on his face was nearly gone, but Hiccup still felt as though it was fresh on his face. He'd tried to hide it from view at the facility all day, and even though no one asked about it he still felt as though they had been staring at it.

"They were just trying to keep eye contact with you," his father told him. "It's professional to keep eye contact with the person you are speaking with…"

Hiccup rolled over a little bit, sighing as he forced the thoughts out.

Instead of leaving one class early to head to the next on his crutches, he'd decided to deal with the crowds. He would have his new prosthetic so if something did happen with the crutches, at least he'd be able to balance on the new one as leverage. The whole point of keeping the crutches with him with the new prosthetic was just to help him balance until he was better adjusted with the new attachment.

Unfortunately, despite how tired her was he didn't sleep too well through the night. He woke up multiple times trying to get comfortable and situated in bed. But his thoughts were overpowering his desire to rest. At one point he thought his father had come to check on him, and Hiccup feared he'd rolled over too violently a few times. His father had simply just gone to the bathroom and went back to bed moments later.

After fighting to sleep longer, he pushed himself out of bed at five exactly and hope for a better night's sleep that night.

At least it was Friday. He'd only have to deal with the pressure and stress of returning back to school for one day and then get a mental break for the weekend. This was the bright side to returning back.

After showering, and getting dressed, he made himself some toast, and then decided to relax on the couch and sketch. At six his father came out to the kitchen to start his pot of coffee, but paused when he noticed Hiccup on the couch.

"You are up earlier than usual."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him. "Barely."

"I mean - " Mr. Vast ran a hand through his hair and yawned tiredly. "Usually at this time you are just getting out of the shower, and here you are dressed and just waiting for the bus."

"Astrid is coming to get me today," Hiccup responded to him. He decided to close his sketchbook. There was no use continuing.

"Well, at least you are well-ready for your first day back," his father said again with a yawn, and he continued onto the kitchen.

The sun was coming up, and the light was starting to get brighter outside. Hiccup leaned over the side of the couch and pulled the curtain back with his hand to take a gander. He sighed. He really was not "well-ready" to go back.

Astrid arrived promptly at seven. Her morning smile seemed to help ease the tension and unease he was feeling. She looked pretty even in a pair of jean capris, and a team hoodie with her hair pulled back in a high bun. Today, she wore her blue rimmed glasses which made her sky eyes pop more.

"Good morning," she said as he leaned in to kiss her on top of her forehead. Her hand reached his that rested on his crutch, and she gave it a squeeze. "It's going to be okay." She whispered it to him.

"I hope so," he whispered back to her. He withdrew himself, cleared his throat and said, "Thanks again for coming and getting me."

"We both know I didn't want you climbing up and down those steps on the bus." She gave him a playful nudge at his hip, and they proceeded towards her car to head to school.

They were running a little later than he thought they were. It was that or student had arrived to the school exceptionally earlier than he'd expected for the time of day. As he entered the doorway to the school, he took in a deep breath, and so it began.

Luckily, for most of his classes he had at least one student from each one that was going to his next. He'd tried to linger with them without being noticed as they headed towards class. After his second class, and heading towards the third, Hannah Monroe approached him as he was packing up his backpack at bell and asked her if he needed help heading towards the next class. He was taken aback. He hadn't really talked to her much with how quiet he was. But, she was on Astrid's volleyball team and Astrid never had anything poor to say about her.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he said, forcing a smile. "Um, just having someone to walk with in the crowded hall is helpful."

She gave a small smile back, and they proceeded towards the next class.

It was then, as he was heading out of the doorway and into the hallway did he feel his right crutch catch on something. Instinctively, his good leg planted, so he didn't fall too far, but he fell directly into the back of Hannah, causing her to stagger. A hand came lose on the crutch that had caught, and he reached forward and grabbed her by the forearm to help steady her.

"I am so sorry," he said as she squealed in surprise.

As she was mumbling, "It's okay, I am okay…" Hiccup's eyes saw a letterman jacket out of the corner of his eye. He felt his chest constrict, and making his eyes scan upwards he saw Rudy standing there. A smug smile on his face.

Fear flooded through Hiccup instantly. Within a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, Rudy winked at him, and turned around and headed down the opposite direction.

"Are you okay?" he heard Hannah ask him.

Hiccup blinked several times, then quickly removed his hand from her arm. "I - I'm sorry - I - uh - tripped. My crutch."

"It's okay," she said. "Thanks for catching me." Not only had he caught her arm, but Savannah Mendez had stopped and picked up the crutch he dropped and handed it back to him. He nodded a smile to her, but he could feel himself growing incredibly nervous.

The whole encounter only took all of ten seconds from start to finish, but it felt like ten minutes. His heart was racing, and suddenly he felt a little weak as he followed Hannah towards their next class. It took him a solid few minutes to settle down once he was seated. Concentrating at first had been difficult, but he had to force himself to shake off the edge.

Surprisingly, Astrid had met him outside the doorway of the classroom to head to lunch with him. Hannah waved at her as she passed them both. It was then that Hiccup became a little suspicious.

"Astrid," he said gently as they made their way towards the cafeteria. "Did you ask Hannah to accompany me to class?"

Astrid looked at him and cocked her head. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Hiccup." And, she turned away from him, squeezing her books a little tighter towards her chest.

Heading towards Mr. Bryce's class, the very last class of the day, Hiccup rounded the corner and slammed directly into something large and solid. Or, they slammed into him. He barely had time to look or breathe. A second later his backpack was yanked from his shoulders, pulling his grip on his crutches away. As those fell towards the floor, he was slammed against a set of lockers, immediately causing his head to swim, and his fists to go up.

"Wow, little punk is edgy today." Rudy.

"Ha-ha, I know, right?" Brock. More dread came surging up Hiccup. "Looks like that eye has healed up nicely…"

He felt one more shove at his shoulder, and then nothing. Voices around Hiccup were dying down, and footsteps were fading. Opening his eyes, he realized both boys were no where to be seen. He was just standing along the edge of the hallway as the sea of students heading towards eighth period were fading into their scheduled classrooms.

He rushed to collect himself and his belongings, and found an opening in the crowd to head towards Mr. Bryce's class. He made it inside the classroom just as the bell rang. Safety. He let out the breath he was holding and made his way towards his seat.

While Mr. Bryce silently took attendance, Hiccup set up his desk for class, and worked on calming himself. He just needed to make it down the hallway after class to meet Astrid at her locker. That was it. He had one minute max until he would feel safe again. Surely, Rudy and Brock wouldn't strike again.

Hiccup had nothing left to try to stay grounded at this point. His panic and anxiety was now taking over, and it was taking everything he had to stay in his seat. Midway through class, he noticed his good leg bouncing up and down heavily, and he squeezed his hand in hopes of grounding himself a little better.

"I know it is Friday, and I know you all are wanting to get out of here and start your weekend," Mr. Bryce said. "With the final ten minutes I would like to ask you all to read the concluding pages. Your assignment for the weekend will be on the portal tonight and needs to be completed by the scheduled time. So, I would insist that everyone take a look at the assignment before the end of day tomorrow."

After a brief pause, Mr. Bryce made eye contact with Hiccup, and motioned for him to rise and come up to the desk. "Grab your things." Even though Mr. Bryce said it aloud, it was only directly towards Hiccup. Everyone heard it, but, no one seemed to pay much mind to what was taking place, and everyone else in the classroom was either starting to finish their reading or ignoring Hiccup as he shoved his book into his backpack, grabbed his crutches and headed toward the door. However, Hiccup did not see it this way. He felt as though he was being watched by everyone as he left the room.

"Are you all right?" Mr. Bryce asked him once the door was closed.

"Yeah - yeah, I am fine."

"You don't look fine," Mr. Bryce said. Hiccup could see the tiredness and the concern in his eyes. "Did something happen? You've been extremely edgy all through class."

Hiccup pushed a smile. "Yeah, just a long day is all."

"Okay. Hiccup, you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" Mr. Bryce asked.

The pounding in Hiccup's chest thudded harder. He removed eye contact from his teacher, and looked at the floor.

"I - I - " Hiccup took in a breath and forced a smile. "It really has just been a long day back. I'm just not feeling too good still."

His teacher crossed his arms in front of him, waited a moment, and sighed. "Okay. Well, from here just take it easy and enjoy your weekend, all right?"

Hiccup nodded. He quickly cocked his head around and glanced at the clock down the hallway. Given it was on time, the bell would ring in just five more minutes time. It would probably be too many minutes to linger in the hallways.

He turned back to Mr. Bryce, but noticed his teacher was already closing the door behind him to the classroom. Of course. With Hiccup on crutches and with his back pack, Mr. Bryce was letting him go early so that he could get a head start without the crowd. Hiccup groaned. This was not in his plan.

After bracing himself, he headed down the quiet hallway towards Astrid's locker. He watched for any signs of anyone else that might be lingering in the hallways. Rounding the corner, he took it slowly. He was afraid to be jumped. No one was in the hallway, and he could see the section of Astrid's locker from where he was. Letting out is breath, he headed towards the locker.

Coming up onto the locker, coming from another corridor on the other side of the hallway, his breath left his body when he saw Brock approaching very quickly. His fists were clenched, and he had a very evil smile across his face. Hiccup paused.

"What?"

"You are so easy to detect," Brock said as he approached Hiccup. Before Hiccup could even back away, or run, or do anything to avoid Brock, a hard fist connect with Hiccup's jaw, knocking him to the floor just as the dismissal bell rang.