=Normal POV=

{Saturday, February 12, 2022-6:45 pm}

(Berk; Haddock Manor-Ballroom)

Most of the night until dinner was people talking and enjoying the appetizers and drinks that were being served on trays by the staff of the Haddock Household. Supper was at 6 pm, and still then; everyone just continued to talk. Stoick made his way around the room, talking to different people. Sometimes Valka was at his side, other times she wasn't. Hiccup conversed with others if he needed to, but mostly; he stayed with his friends near the music setup as he was in control of it. The populars weren't far from them, but having their conversations. Astrid saw many people who had worked with her parents, and some who came out for the funeral too. Astrid played the part and talked, but she tried to keep to herself at the head table where Stoick, Valka, and Hiccup had eaten dinner. Also, Spitelout, Frida, Adelaide, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Alvin, Termagant, and Gobber were there as well. One long table for all twelve of them. Heather, Dagur, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Minden were at one table with their families. The same with Eret, Nadia, Gruffnut, Camicazi, and Thuggory, only they were split up among two tables. Everyone else was seated accordingly by family or coworkers.

After finishing a conversation with one person, Astrid decided to head outside for a little fresh air. Reaching the doors leading out; Astrid stepped onto the terrace and leaned on the railing with a heavy sigh, letting the February air rush by her face. Astrid took a deep breath; this was hard for her to be a part of. Astrid had been to so many, playing the part of Mayor's Daughter, but that wasn't her anymore. Hiccup had that position, and he played it well too. Of course, Astrid could tell that Hiccup didn't care about what he was now; these types of things never bothered him, but he'd act accordingly. And Astrid would admit that Hiccup cleaned up nicely with a full suit on. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax and prepare herself to go back in.

Hiccup hated things like this, and he was only doing it because this was a big night for his father and his mother's birthday. Today wasn't a day he wanted to deal with people; he would prefer to be back downstairs, alone to mourn the loss of his wife. Hiccup sighed heavily, finishing his soda and setting the cup down the second level of where his laptop was.

"You okay?" Minden asked.

"Just waiting for this to be over…" Hiccup muttered. "Watch my stuff; I'm gonna go outside for some air," he said, then turned to go out the doors that opened to the terrace. To his surprise, he saw Astrid out there, leaning on the railing and looking out to the night around them. "You needed to get away too?"

Astrid quickly looked over but didn't alter her position. "Yeah, kind of warm in there," Astrid said.

"I hear ya. Parties like these aren't my thing," Hiccup stated, also leaning over the railing with his arms on the railing.

"You look like you're not enjoying yourself," Astrid mentioned.

"Little hard to after earlier," Hiccup shrugged. Astrid looked forward again. "Sometimes you just want to be alone to think or remember,"

"I know the feeling," Astrid admitted as Hiccup glanced over. "I've been to so many of these celebrations for Mayorship when it was my dad…To be at one now, and it's not him. I don't know; it's different, painful to here as the guest of honor," she sighed.

"I can imagine something like this isn't easy for you," Hiccup said, folding his hands in front of him, but still leaning on the railing. "You're still mourning, trying to adjust to life without them. A lot of things will hurt to take part in," Hiccup looked down a little. "I know how it goes without Olivia, trying to take care of Runa, finish High School, working…Just trying to make it through every day," he added.

"Your dad mentioned earlier that she got sick before she learned she was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby regardless, that she wanted everything to be normal until she passed. I'm sorry if I ever made things harder by giving you a difficult time when you were going through all that," Astrid stated sincerely.

"Hardly mattered what you and the others were doing; I had my mind on bigger things, which is why I just ignored a lot of it," Hiccup informed.

"But you couldn't after she passed away," Astrid mentioned. "When Eret and the others were saying all those things; you snapped. And I understand what you meant now when I started living here; that you wouldn't let them talk about situations they didn't understand…I don't think they'll say anything anymore; we saw you downstairs earlier,"

Hiccup didn't look at her; he closed his eyes sadly. "I know…" he finally said. There was silence between them now. "It was cancer," Hiccup stated as Astrid looked over a little surprised. "Olivia was diagnosed with it a month before we learned she was pregnant with Runa. We were told that if she terminated the pregnancy, and started on the medications right away; then there was a chance to save her life. But if she continued through the pregnancy, cancer would only kill her faster. Olivia decided to have Runa, to give her life instead of ending it on only the chance Liv could be saved," he explained softly but never looking at Astrid.

"Olivia wanted me to keep Runa as the piece of her after she died. Liv didn't want cancer to be something that changed her life, so she made me promise to keep things normal. Never talking about it, having a relationship, pregnancy, and we make love as if nothing had changed. Liv wore makeup to hide how sick she was. Runa was born last June, and Olivia started getting worse; it was too late for the medications to stop anything because cancer had reached the terminal stage. We were told she didn't have long left, probably a year. If she'd made it that long; she would have likely gone about the time of Runa's first birthday, my graduation…" Hiccup continued.

"Whose idea was it to get married?" Astrid decided to ask.

"Liv's. She told me she wanted to get married as soon as we turned eighteen because there was so much she still desired out of life, but wouldn't have time to do it all. Olivia said she could die happy as long as we managed to do that one thing…And I promised her we would marry," Hiccup was trying hard not to cry again. "I got the ring and was going to ask her on Thanksgiving…Then I got that call that something happened, and I needed to get to the hospital right away because this was it; Liv likely wasn't going to make it to the next day. I rushed home, got the ring, then to the hospital…And well, you saw how all that went…"

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Hiccup. Truly, I am…" Astrid said sympathetically.

"Thanks. I'm just taking it one day at a time. Some days are harder than others, but I manage…I've got my friends, family, and Roo…" Hiccup said gently.

"I wish I could say I had the same, but I'm by myself in the support department," Astrid half-chuckled. "I guess that's what I get for being as cruel to people as I did before everything happened. Karma kicked me right in the ass; just like you said it would," Hiccup looked at her, recalling what he said. "I've lost everything. My parents, my home, my car, the people I thought were my friends…You saw; I ended up on the streets,"

Hiccup laughed a little as Astrid looked at him, shocked he would laugh at her words. "Gods…You still don't see it, do you?"

"I'm sorry?" Astrid said, unsure of what else she could speak at the moment. Hiccup turned to face her more.

"You didn't lose anything, Astrid; it got taken from you, unfairly. Your parents died in a house fire that was set intentionally. Okay someone or several people wanted them gone, and had you been home; it would have been you too," Hiccup said as Astrid looked at him slowly now. "You keep saying that you lost everything, but you didn't. Your parents and home got taken. You didn't lose the people who were your friends because they never were. Those jerks were friends with what you had; your money, the popularity of being the Mayor's Daughter. They loved what you could give them, what you could do for them. But they were never in your life for you, and as soon as they realized you couldn't do whatever it was you used to do, everything ended,"

"Yeah, just like you said in October…" Astrid looked away sadly. "As soon as something changes, and you're no longer one of them; they'd throw you aside,"

"But let me ask you this, Astrid; why is it a bad thing?" Hiccup inquired. "Why would you be upset about those seven ditched you when they were never your friends in the first place? If it were me; I'd be relieved that this situation showed me the truth. As I did say in October; at the end of the day; I know who my real friends are. And with all this, now you know who yours are,"

Astrid didn't understand. "Hiccup, I-I don't have any friends. I have nothing,"

"You have the clothes on your back," Hiccup stated as Astrid looked at him quickly again. "You have a roof over your head. Food in your stomach. A warm bed to sleep in at night. You have a paying job. And you do have friends," Astrid's eyes widened. "Snotlout, Heather, Fishlegs, Adelaide, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Dagur…Your coworkers. You even have me,"

"I'm pretty sure you hate me," Astrid looked down. "And them too,"

"They don't hate you, Astrid; they know you were being used for what you had. We all did. All of them were hurt that you abandoned us, so they are scared that this, a second time, won't last. That's why I took the chance to say something in October about the matter. And that's why I reminded you at Archia Burger to remember what I said," Astrid looked at him slightly now.

"So you knew they would abandon me…You knew it was all for show…" Astrid sighed. "You've been trying to help me all this time, and I threw it in your face…You should hate me,"

"If I hated you, would I have helped you when your friends left you that bill at Archia Burger? Would I have given you my manager meal? Would I have checked on you after the others abandoned you? Would I have challenged those idiots to work for two hours?" Astrid's eyes widened more. Hiccup did that for her? "I snuck into the girl's locker room after leaving you at the nurse and set their bags on the wet shower floors to ruin their uniforms, and I set up the wet seat thing because I saw how they were treating you…And I couldn't stand it. Astrid, I don't hate you. Sure; it wasn't great how you've treated me over the years because we used to be best friends, but I don't hate you," Hiccup informed.

"You keep saying that…" Astrid looked at him.

"We were. Astrid, before your dad was elected Mayor…We were best friends. You and I were inseparable. Snot, Adelaide, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, Heather…They all remember it, and so do I," Hiccup stated, pulling a picture from his wallet and showing Astrid. It was of her with him, their arms over each other's shoulders, smiling broadly with their heads together. "That was us in fifth-grade before you started changing. You met Camicazi, Ragna, and Thuggory; started hanging out with them and blowing me and the others off. We still talked and hung a bit, but Freshman Year when you met Eret; you were gone, Ast. Everything about being popular and well-known went to your head, and you stopped being the friend you used to be,"

Astrid couldn't believe it. "I've been holding on to that, hoping one day to get the chance to show you the girl you once were. Then pray you'd be here again. I've never hated you, Astrid. I was upset you changed and abandoned us like Eret and the others did to you. You said that you had new friends, and couldn't hang with losers anymore because we weren't like you, and had nothing in common with us," Hiccup continued to say. "I've been watching over you for years since you changed because I knew one day, you'd need help. Someone to offer a kind hand, to pick you up. It's why I made sure at least one of my friends is in every one of your classes," Astrid's eyes widened once more. "Why my friends and I always sat close to the table you and the others were at," he kept on going. "Astrid I have always been here; you've never lost me. Just because you walked away didn't mean I stopped caring and wanting to ensure you were alright,"

"You said you were disgusted and ashamed ever to call me your best friend," Astrid looked down some.

"That was just a really bad day, Ast. I'd just lost Olivia a few days before, and hearing those asses talk about her that way…I snapped and took my anger out on all of you. I got pissed you couldn't remember our friendship. I was hurt about losing Olivia. It was just everything piling up and unable to cope with all the emotions I felt. I didn't mean what I said to you, so I am sorry for saying it. But I suppose I did hope it might get you to wonder what I meant about being friends. I wanted you to remember that you do have true friends in your life. That's why I asked you in October if you knew who yours were; I hope you realize now who they are. We only want to help, but you gotta open up and let us," Hiccup said, holding up a group photo of all of them. "This can happen again; you can be this girl. You don't have to go through this by yourself,"

Astrid looked at the photo, and she could see how happy she was. Genuinely happy to be with them. "I'd like that, being happy again…I just feel like I can't, Hiccup. With all this going on…Everything that's happened," she closed her eyes sadly.

"Astrid, listen to me," Hiccup said as Astrid looked at him. "You have air in your lungs, blood pumping through your veins, and a beating heart. Astrid, you have a life. Your life. I know it hurts that your parents are gone, but life is unfair, and no one said it was easy. Things out of our control happen, and all we can do is keep going. Your parents were taken, so was your home and car. But what did that force you to do?"

"Get a job to take care of myself," Astrid replied.

"Right, and know you've learned life skills that you need to survive. Something I asked you about in that blizzard. Okay, you lost the people you thought were your friends. But who has come forward to help you in your time of need?"

"You and the others," Astrid said.

"Because we're your real friends, the people who do care about you instead of what you have and can do. Astrid, you survived something that was meant to kill you and your family. You're still alive and have continued to push through all the bad things that keep happening one after the others. And do you know why?" Hiccup asked as Astrid shook her head. "You're a fighter, and sometimes the one only way to find out how strong you are is to get knocked all the way to the bottom. After that; there's only one way left to go; up," Astrid felt like she was about to cry.

"Thank you, Hiccup; I needed to hear that," Astrid choked up a little.

"Hiccup! Get in here!" Gobber said from the middle door.

"Come on," Hiccup smiled. "Shall we face the rest of the evening together, as I am your assigned escort for the night?" Astrid nodded as the two of them got off the railing and walked back to the Ballroom.

"Where did you go?" Stoick asked.

"Outside for some fresh air, Mr. Haddock. Hiccup came with me as you said he wasn't supposed to leave my side tonight," Astrid told Stoick so Stoick would think it was her fault Hiccup left the room.

"Ah. Good work then, son. Your mother wants a few pictures of you dancing with Astrid as you are her escort for the evening. Just one song, that's she asks, please?" Stoick pleaded.

"Why me and Astrid?" Hiccup blinked.

"Because of some memory thing from years ago. When Colden was elected Mayor in the fifth-grade, you two danced together, then every year until eighth grade. Val wants to see it again since you didn't do it after 2014 now that I'm the Mayor. So will you two do it? Please?" Stoick inquired.

"One dance won't hurt us I guess, if you're up for it, Astrid?" Hiccup looked at her.

"I'd be honored to repeat something we did like the friends we are," Astrid smiled. Hiccup did too.

"And if you can get the song from back then, she'd appreciate it," Stoick added, then headed off, nodding to his wife.

"What song did we dance the first time?" Astrid wondered.

"Pretty sure it was Can I Have This Dance from High School Musical," Hiccup stated.

"Isn't that…A lovers song?" Astrid looked at him.

"We don't have to; I'm sure we had no idea what we were doing at eleven except being pre-teens," Hiccup chuckled.

"Well, it's your Mom's birthday; I think we can humor her for one dance," Astrid giggled a little.

"I'll get it ready," Hiccup moved to his laptop to find the song. After preparing it; he pressed play and turned things up. Hiccup and Astrid met one another in the middle of the floor, smiling.

Astrid put her hand out. "Take my hand," Hiccup pulled his hands from his pockets, setting his left hand in her extended right one. Everyone began to quiet down, watching the scene that was beginning on the dance floor. "Take a breath," Astrid sang as Hiccup took one, then looked at her again. Valka instantly squealed, setting her phone to record the moment. "Pull me close," Hiccup pulled her towards his figure now. "And take one step," Astrid stepped back as Hiccup matched it by moving forward. "Keep your eyes, locked on mine," Astrid gently touched his cheek, running her fingers through his side hair. Hiccup looked into her eyes as told as their bodies moved into a dancing position. "And let the music be your guide," Astrid continued as they began moving together.

"Won't you promise me," Hiccup started.

"Now, won't you promise me; that you'll never forget," Astrid sang.

"We'll keep dancing," Hiccup continued.

"To keep dancing…" Astrid smiled.

"Wherever we go next!" Hiccup and Astrid sang together. "It's like catching lightning; the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million; the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better," the two were doing all the moves, on queue, right from the movie.

"So can I have this dance?" Astrid rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Can I have this dance?" Hiccup placed his hands on her hips as they swayed slowly in rhythm.

"Can I have this dance?" they sang together as Hiccup picked Astrid up bridal-style, twirling her a few times, then set her down and they separated a moment.

"Take my hand," Hiccup instructed as Astrid did so. "I'll take the lead," he pulled her close as they swayed a little more. "And every turn will be safe with me. Don't be afraid. Afraid to fall. You know I'll catch you through it all," Hiccup span her once, then dipped Astrid low in a swoop but brought her back up in the same fluid motion. "And you can't keep us apart,"

"Even a thousand miles can't keep us apart," Astrid sang afterward.

"Cause my heart is," Hiccup jumped in.

"Cause my heart is…" Astrid repeated.

"Wherever you are. It's like catching lightning; the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million; the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better," Hiccup and Astrid continued together, never faltering in their dance.

"So can I have this dance?" Astrid smiled.

"Can I have this dance?" Hiccup repeated to her.

"Can I have this dance?" the said together.

"Oh, oh! No mountains too high and no-," Astrid started, but Hiccup picked up on the same lyric.

"Oceans too wide. Cause together or not, our dance won't stop. Let it rain. Let it pour. What we have is worth fighting for. You know I believe; you and I were meant to be!" Hiccup span Astrid around, then they started again. "It's like catching lightning; the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million; the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better,"

"So can I have this dance?" Astrid asked, singing.

"Can I have this dance?" Hiccup replied, also still in tune.

"Can I have this dance?" the span together. "Can I have this dance?" Now, it was a very slow twirl. Hiccup's hand was on her waist as Astrid's hand was on the back of Hiccup's head. "Can I have this dance?" they faced one another, Astrid's hand falling to Hiccup's shoulder as their foreheads touched lightly, both smiling and panting a little. The song ended as Astrid hugged Hiccup tightly, and he returned it. Hiccup held Astrid's hand as they faced the crowd, and took a bow together. There was clapping and cheering for the display of dancing by Hiccup and Astrid, but neither of the two cared because that moment between them brought it all back; it was just like old times when they were best friends. And Astrid knew for sure now that Hiccup had never left her side.