Hey everyone! A very Merry (and kind of late) Christmas to you all!

Firstly, I'm not dead :P Secondly, I went through some rather stressful shit recently, and it kind of broke me - spiritually and physically. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that I've found my motivation pretty lacking on the writing front lately, and I hate it. My friend gave me some tips to try and get my mojo back, and this is the result.

Fair warning in advance... This story is going to have all the in-depth plot of a Hallmark Xmas special. Lol. It's mostly just a way to remind myself exactly why I enjoy writing so much. Hopefully whoever decides to read it will enjoy this random Hiccstrid Holiday Fluff too. Love you guys, and thanks for sticking with me.

~oOo~

Astrid Hofferson had always been a smart girl. Well known for being tough, quick witted, and independent to a fault. With an almost ruthless desire to be the best at everything, it was no surprise that she'd been both class president at her high school and captain of her varsity soccer team. Scoring 98% average overall, she'd graduated as top female student of her year, and was voted as class Valedictorian. Her future had seemed set.

University had been her first taste of the big city. Unlike most of her classmates though, she'd spent her days studying instead of partying. Astrid had never really been one for crowds, and she secretly longed for her quiet little town again. Still, when she was offered a job at a fancy publishing agency, she'd leapt at the chance. Eventually she did get used to all the noise and all the people. She even gradually began to appreciate the way that everyone always seemed to be in a hurry.

As she'd always done, Astrid learned to adapt and thrive in her new surroundings. Model tall, with her father's bright blue eyes and her mother's honey blonde hair and delicate cameo looks, Astrid knew she was good looking. She was also an ambitious go-getter with an aggressively competitive streak.

She found a way to work those assets to her favour. Predictably, it didn't take long for her superiors to take notice. After only 4 years, she'd managed to jump from lowly intern right up to Assistant Editor in Chief. Surpassing several others that had been with the company for decades. It was a fancy job title that also came with a pretty decent salary increase.

Everything had been going so well. So just how was it that she'd managed to land herself in this mess. Here she was, 24 years old with her life in shambles. Homeless, jobless, and pretty much penniless - and just 2 weeks before Christmas to boot.

She should be prancing back to Berk to brag about her successes to all her envious old school friends, but no. Instead, she was escaping back to Berk in the dead of night, under the guise of a spur-of-the-moment holiday visit. Everything she had left to her name was now crammed into the back of her 2019 Chevy Equinox alongside her golden retriever Stormfly. Her hopes and dreams lying tattered and broken on the slushy pavement outside the luxury condo that she had only recently moved into.

That's what she got for trusting good looking men, Astrid mused as she gazed out the windshield at the dark and mostly deserted stretch of highway. Eret Eretson had seemed like the perfect guy. Tall, dark, and handsome, with amber eyes that reminded her of warm caramel and the body of a Mr. Olympian contestant. Gods, even his voice had been sexy, with that regal English accent.

All the ladies at the office had wanted him - including Astrid (though she would never have admitted it). Especially since he also happened to be the boss' son. She'd been too focused on her career to consider getting romantically involved with anyone, regardless of their looks or pedigree. Even when Eret had begun to stop by her desk every day to flirt, she'd done her best to resist him. She really had.

Her hormones had eventually won out over her better sense though. What started as a wild one night stand after too many drinks, turned into a blossoming affair. Eret's manners were smooth as velvet, and he was charming as the Devil. Constantly showering her in tokens of his affections - like having flowers delivered to her at work, or gifting her expensive earrings for no apparent reason.

He treated her like a queen, and Astrid was mildly shocked to realize she enjoyed it. Even letting herself believe that she might just have found the one. She fell head-over-heels for Eret, and she was sure that he felt the same. He certainly told her so often enough that she couldn't help but believe it.

He had asked her to move in with him a few months ago, and though Astrid had been wary to give up the independence offered by having her own place, she did eventually give in. She'd wanted to postpone until the summer, so as not to get penalized for backing out of her lease early, but Eret had insisted. Then Astrid's co-worker and friend, Becky Stevens, had offered to take on the remaining lease for her. The paperwork was signed, and Astrid had moved out of the fully furnished apartment the following week.

Lately, Eret had even begun throwing out casual jokes about starting a family. Complaining jovially about how they would need a bigger condo if they were going to have room for all the kids he wanted. Astrid certainly felt like they were ready to take the next step in their relationship. She had been almost positive that he was too. Was sure that he was going to propose to her this Christmas.

Christmas had always been Astrid's favourite time of year. The lights, the decorations - heck, she even loved the snow. As a secretly hopeless romantic at heart, she had always thought this time of year was perfect for love. For new beginnings and stolen kisses beneath the mistletoe.

As a teenager, Astrid had always dreamed of experiencing that dorky Hallmark fantasy. She'd almost had it once too. The romantic dance at the annual Snoggletlog Ball, the mistletoe and starlight, and the perfect type of kiss that makes your brain go all fuzzy. She'd had all of that, but she'd been too stupid to hold onto it, and the beautiful possibilities had slipped from her grasp.

She still caught herself thinking about it sometimes. Even if there was no sense in dwelling on the past, she just couldn't help it. She'd screwed everything up so badly back then. Losing her chance with the perfect guy - all because she was too scared to admit her feelings. If anything, it just meant she was more determined than ever that this time she wasn't going to hesitate. This time, she was going to get it right!

She'd had the whole scene worked out in her head for months. The two of them, Eret in his perfectly tailored Armani suit and her in the red silk evening dress she had purchased just for the occasion, standing by the fireplace at his parents' hilltop mansion overlooking the city. The dainty rows of diamonds on the necklace Eret had given her last year reflecting the twinkling lights on the professionally decorated tree - throwing glittering rainbow sparks over her skin and hair.

Eret would take her hand in his as he slowly lowered to one knee. Astrid's heart would beat faster and the blood would rush in her ears as she barely contained the urge to squeal with joy. She would make him wait a bit for an answer of course, but only because that was her style. Then the two of them would be laughing as she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and pressed her lips to his. His strong hands encircling her waist to pick her up and spin her around. Both of them completely overwhelmed with love, happiness, and giddy excitement for the future.

It had been a little sad to think of spending this Christmas away from her family, but it would work out for the best. She and Eret would celebrate their own little holiday. Their very first one as a little family, together beside the electric fireplace as their little Norfolk pine sparkled with its miniature little ornaments beneath the big picture window.

Well, apparently Astrid's silly fantasies about a perfect Christmas love story were nothing but that - silly fantasies. She'd caught Eret in bed with her friend this afternoon, and the whole sappy dream had come crashing down around her. The very same friend, or rather ex-friend, that had so kindly offered to take over Astrid's apartment. Seems Eret hadn't been quite as committed to the relationship as he'd led Astrid to believe… He'd just been stringing her along while he fooled around behind her back.

The fight that followed had been pretty ugly, with quite a bit of screaming and cursing. For the first time ever, Eret had raised a hand to her. Knocking her to the ground with a backhanded blow to the face that had left her jaw aching. He had looked shocked at himself, but not nearly as shocked as he was when Astrid tackled him to the ground and broke his nose in retaliation. Nobody hits Astrid Hofferson and walks away unscathed.

As he had stood over the sink in the bathroom, cursing while he tried to stem the flow of blood from his face, Astrid had begun to gather up everything that she could reasonably carry. Packing her two huge travel suitcases to bursting point while Stormfly lurked protectively close to her. The loyal dog growling and snapping at Eret in warning when he had dared try to take Astrid's bag away from her. Claiming that she needed to calm down so that they could talk about this like grown-ups. As if there was anything to talk about.

She should have known it was all too good to be true. She should have seen the signs before she let her heart get involved. The red flags had been everywhere, and the other ladies at the office had tried to warn her that Eret was a player, but she just wouldn't listen. For all her book smarts, she had let that sleaze manipulate her just like the naive, small-town girl she was.

The last thing she'd done was throw her barely broken in set of condo keys back at his stupid face before slamming the door on their future for good. On her own future for good. There was no way she could go back to the agency now. Not after this. Undoubtedly Eret would come up with some excuse to explain her absence at work tomorrow, while also making himself look like the victim. She supposed he did have a busted up nose to bolster his story.

That thought made a brief smile flicker across her face. At least until she remembered that she was now jobless and homeless, while the cheating bastard would still be riding high on daddy's money. Ugh, she was so done with good looking guys! Done with men in general, really, but mostly just the good looking ones. Relationships just weren't worth the baggage they brought with them.

Ah well, at least now she would get to spend Christmas with her family. Maybe Santa would even see fit to bring her a new job in that magic sleigh of his. The world owed her something good after a day like today, Astrid mused blandly. Turning her gaze up towards where the sky should be for a moment in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the stars. Too bad all she could see was darkness, and this endless cascade of fat, white snowflakes.

Belatedly she wished that she'd had the presence of mind to check the forecast before leaving town. She had just been too upset and shell-shocked to even give a thought to the weather. Barely even noticing the steadily falling snow swirling around her as she'd peeled out of the underground parking lot and into the fading light of sunset.

Now she was in the middle of nowhere. Fumbling her way through a storm on slippery roads in the middle of the night. Nothing but empty highway and snow capped forest for several kilometres in either direction. Even her religiously charged cellphone did nothing to help her right now, as she seriously doubted she would get any bars out here. Especially with the weather the way it was.

After checking her phone screen only long enough to confirm that she had no service, Astrid tossed it angrily back into the empty cup holder. Growling out loud in frustration now, she switched the radio to scan in hopes of catching a road report before scrubbing a hand over her tired eyes. Then she reached back behind her seat as she apologized to Stormfly for waking her. The dog stretching forward to nuzzle her hand in return, and the warm snout against her palm helped to calm some of Astrid's nerves. Her other hand loosening its death grip on the wheel somewhat.

The weather already hadn't been great before, but the storm had picked up significantly over the last hour. Her headlights reflecting back off the huge, fluffy flakes like a million little spotlights - making her already sore eyes burn, and she blinked to clear away the tears blurring her vision. With a sigh, she switched the high beams for the fog lights in the hopes it would help, before cranking the heater fan up. The temperature had dropped as the wind had increased, and the ice was starting to build up on her wipers.

As she rounded the next corner, the back tires started to slip, and her stomach lurched. The rear of the SUV fishtailed around until the AWD kicked it back in line. Slowing down to a near crawl now as she tried to slow her racing heart, Astrid looked around at her surroundings again. Realizing for the first time that there were no other tracks on the road.

She should have stopped in that last town she'd passed through, but she had just been too focused on her destination. Too angry. Fully intending to drive straight through until she hit Berk, her only thought had been to get as far away from Eret and her mistakes as she possibly could. She still had a half tank of fuel and an old gas station coffee cooling in her travel mug, so she hadn't seen any reason to stop.

Now, as she glanced towards the clock and saw that it was already 11:00pm, she knew that had been stupid and careless. What would her father say if he could see her right now? Ivan Hofferson had raised his daughter to be smarter than this!

She was only about a half an hour away if she stopped right now. Maybe she should turn around and go back to find a cheap motel to stay in. Start out again in the morning after some sleep. Hopefully the snowplows will have taken some passes down the highway by then, but even if they hadn't, it would still be easier to navigate in daylight.

She should still have enough cash on her to afford one night as long as she didn't stay at The Ritz. She also had a credit card with a decent remaining balance, but she'd rather not use that if she could avoid it. Especially not now that she didn't have a means of paying it off. She supposed she could also suck up her pride and ask her parents for help, but that was another thing that she would rather avoid if there was any other option.

Not wanting to turn around in the middle of the road in the off-chance that someone else happened to be crazy enough to be out at this time, she began searching for a side road or a pullout. Anything really. Unfortunately the fresh blanket of snow made everything look the same. The sides of the road blurring into the snow banks on the shoulder until it was almost impossible to tell where the road ended and the ditch began. The icy chunks on the wipers leaving streaks in their wake - distorting the world beyond her windscreen.

She was just thinking that she should at least stop and clear the ice off the wipers when she felt the tires skip over the rumble strips on the centre of the road. Panicking, she overcorrected. At the hard jerk of the wheel, the tires broke loose and she instinctively hit the brakes. Her exhausted mind realizing a second too late that this had been the wrong choice.

Well didn't this just figure, Astrid griped inwardly as her brain caught up to the fact that she was crashing. "Hold on Stormfly," she yelled out stupidly, as if the dog could understand her. Shutting her eyes and bracing herself a moment before they hit the ditch. The shock of the impact reverberating through the steering wheel and up her arms as she heard a thump and a yelp from the back seat. Then everything went quiet.

~oOo~

I won't make any promises on when exactly each update will be posted. Like I said, this is an exercise to try and kick my creative brain back in gear. Still, I'm really hoping to have it all up between now and New Years, or shortly thereafter. Fingers crossed...

Thanks again to all my readers that have stuck with me through these long waits for updates (I'm not giving up on my other stories! I promise! They're just on temporary vacation atm :P). And to those who have reached out to me to make sure I'm alright, or just to say Hi!, I hope you all know just how appreciated you are! Thank you so much for being your wonderful selves. Please don't ever change :D