Hiccup looked down at his vibrating phone, and saw, much to his surprise, that the number was one he hadn't seen pop up on his caller id in years. Frowning, he almost sent it to voicemail, but something compelled him to answer.

"Dad?" he asked.

He heard coughing on the other end of the line, and despite not talking to his father in many years, Hiccup couldn't help but feel a flurry of worry in his stomach. Something was wrong. Was his dad sick? "Dad?" he repeated. "What is it? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," he finally heard his dad say. His dad's voice sounded older, if that was possible, though still remarkably powerful. Just like his dad always was. But it was slightly raspy, and not quite so strong as Hiccup remembered. "It's good to hear your voice, son."

Hiccup blinked a few times, before nodding, though he knew his dad wouldn't be able to see the nod. "Uh, why'd you call?" he asked, feeling guilty despite knowing it took the both of them to lose contact with each other over the years.

Hiccup didn't hate his father—not specifically. They just…didn't get along much in his youth. And now…it felt like suddenly Hiccup was in his early thirties, and he and his father hadn't spoken in at least seven years. Hiccup wracked his brain to try to figure out the last time he actually spoke to his father, and realized it was at the anniversary of his mom's death seven years ago. "Everything alright?" Hiccup asked, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Yeah, yeah," his dad began, before the phone went static with his coughing. "No, actually," his father said. "I…I'm sick, son."

Hiccup felt his stomach turn to ice. He wasn't sure what he was expecting his father to say when he picked up the phone but 'I'm sick' and—

"I don't have too much time left," his father addd. "Gobber and I…we…"

Hiccup waited, knowing that his father was going to ask to see him—and that he was going to say yes.

"We were hoping you would come this summer—to the summer house," Stoick finally finished. "With your family."

Hiccup opened his mouth to say that he would try to at least come for a weekend, before realizing what his dad had actually said. "With my…family?" he asked, slowly.

He wasn't sure what his father meant. His family? Hiccup had no family—except for his estranged father's side of the family. He wasn't sure he wanted to go visit the summer house, and childhood home, where he would be bombarded from relatives and people from his past. But if his father was dying…he sighed.

He supposed he could try to take a week off from work. "I, uh—wait," he said, frowning as he realized exactly what his father had meant. "My…family?" he asked again. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you got married," his father said. "I was disappointed I wasn't invited to the wedding, but I understand that it would have been hard to have me there. And I'm sure you have a few kiddos by now—how many?"

"What?" Hiccup asked, a little breathlessly. He glanced around at his apartment for one, realizing that his father was under the false perception that he, Hiccup, was married with children. Sure, he almost got married in his early twenties—a rushed affair that fell through almost as quickly as he had proposed, thank god, but…he certainly wasn't married now. And he certainly didn't have any children. "Dad, I don't—"

"I know, I know," his dad interrupted. "I'm sure your wife and children are very busy. And with summer vacation coming up, even more so. But…Hiccup. I want to meet her. I do. And I want to meet my grandchildren before I die." His dad started coughing again, as if to prove the point of his mortality. "It's the only thing I'm going to ask of you."

Hiccup took in a deep breath, before opening his mouth, and closing it again.

"Hiccup?" his dad asked.

"I…uh…sure," Hiccup said. "I'll figure out a way for us to come—probably just for a week though…kids these days are super busy."

"Of course, of course," his father said, sounding pleased and relieved. "Thank you, Hiccup."

"Of course, Dad," Hiccup said.

"See you soon," his dad finished, before hanging up.

Hiccup stared at the phone for a moment, before slowly putting it back down on his desk. How was he…going to conjure up a wife and at least one child for a week this summer? He glanced at the calendar, and his eyes widened. A week away. Summer vacation for schools was probably only a week away, judging by his faint memory of school.

He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, before standing up, and heading out of his apartment.

Hiccup was pretty sure he was going to get the cops called on him, hanging outside a school waiting for a mom to walk by, who was hopefully single, who he could convince to hire to pretend to be his wife for a week. He certainly looked suspicious. And…yeah, he was.

He thought about calling his dad to tell him that he was not married and he did not have any children, thank you very much, but he wasn't sure that would go over well. What if his dad croaked right there an then from the disappointment? He had been so happy, teary even, at the thought of meeting his grandchildren and daughter-in-law…

He was about to turn around, to head back to his apartment to call his dad, knowing the honestly was probably the best policy in this situation—when he felt something tug on his pant leg. He frowned, looking down and saw a little face with soulful blue eyes staring up at him. He blinked a few times, surprised to see such a small child at an elementary school.

She couldn't have been older than two or three years old. A toddler, in any case. She had freckles and auburn hair that look so much like his own…she literally couldn't been his daughter. He looked around, firstly worried about such a small child being completely unsupervised, before jumping in surprise when a woman stopped just before him.

"Zephyr!" the woman scolded. "I'm so sorry, Sir," the young woman said, though she was probably around Hiccup's own age. She scooped the baby up into her arms. "She's starting to really run—and I was carrying so much, I just couldn't grab her in time…" She nodded behind her, where a mess of grocery bags could be seen on the ground where the woman must have dropped them.

The woman gave Hiccup a pretty smile, and for a moment he didn't respond, he was so struck with how pretty she was.

"She really likes you," the woman said, nodding to her baby. "She's never warmed up to anyone so fast." She smiled at Hiccup again, and he was again stuck dumb by her charm.

"She's, uh, cute," he said, a little stupidly.

The woman smiled brighter. "My name is Astrid," she said, shifting the baby in her arms to give Hiccup a handshake, and he realized she wasn't wearing a ring on any finger. They shook hands.

She then yawned, and flushed slightly. "Sorry," she said, a little sheepishly. "I've been working late—I wait tables between casting calls." She shrugged, as if this was the norm.

"You're an actress?" he asked, surprised, though he supposed someone as pretty as she is was probably born for the screen.

She nodded. "Well," she said, smiling at him again, "I should probably go. Thanks, and—sorry, again."

She turned and began to walk back to her things.

"Wait!" he suddenly called after her a moment later.

She paused, turned to give him a quizzical, and slightly worried look on her face.

"Do you want a job?" he asked. "Because I have an acting gig for you. If you want it."

TO BE CONTINUED…?

This idea sprang into my head while I was at work today and I couldn't help myself but to type it up as soon as I got home :D

Let me know if you'd like to read more!