Reprieve

Astrid was a firm believer in not giving flowers to people. Ever since her uncle Finn's wife died, she'd associated bouquets with funerals and marriages, neither of which she was concerned about at the moment. Whenever she walked by the florist, however, and saw black roses, she knew Camicazi would get a kick out of them.

True to her personality, Camicazi raved about them. Paying no heed to all of the wires hooked into her, she jabbered about them for nearly a half hour. "The black will totally match the set of fingerless gloves Hiccup gave me." As she proclaimed the beauty of the black roses, she accidentally threw an arm wide and disconnected the wire to her heart monitor. A panicked nurse came rushing in.

When things had been cleared up, and Camicazi was in the green, the nurse left, not before admonishing Astrid and Camicazi to "not get agitated."

"So." Camicazi blinked at Astrid, who had decided to sit in a chair not next to the bed, but not miles away either. "How's Hiccup?"

Astrid choked on the bottled water she's brought to clear her throat. "You got shot in the chest, the bullet barely missing your heart, and you want to know how Hiccup is?"

Camicazi rolled her eyes. "I think he's in more danger than anyone else at the moment."

"Tell that to the bandages wrapped around your chest," Astrid muttered. She raised her voice. "Why did you do it?"

"Knock the heart monitor? I thought the nurse would like the excitement."

It was Astrid's turn to roller her eyes. "Why did you save my life is what I meant."

"Oh." Nearly upsetting the heart monitor again, Camicazi waved a bored hand. "That. Because the paperwork would be too much to fill out."

Astrid played with the tip of her braid. "But you hate me more than you hate paperwork."

"Oh, please." Camicazi yawned. "I don't hate you. It's just how I am – you can ask Hiccup for confirmation. Just because we got off on the wrong foot and you're jealous that Hiccup and I were friends-"

"I'm not jealous!"

"-but aside of that, I completely understand!"

Astrid flicked her braid over her shoulder. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. I should know that Hiccup wouldn't ditch either of us."

"And?" Camicazi prompted, crossing her arms.

"And thank you for saving my life."

"Excellent! Now, go talk to Hiccup. He needs emotional support after what that white lady said, and since they aren't going to let me leave, your the woman for the job. I'm getting tired, and I think that if you don't leave, the nurse is going to kick you out again. The pain meds they give me are awesome. I saw a snake on the ceiling the other night. Do you know if any purple snakes live around Berk?" Camicazi yawned.

Astrid left Camicazi like that and went to obey her wishes.

…

Feeling slightly awkward, Astrid rang Hiccup's doorbell. Silence reigned the night. Getting cold, Astrid on the door with her knuckles. There was still not answer. Finally, getting over her reluctance, she slammed on the door with the flat of her palm.

"I know you're in there, Hiccup Haddock, so don't you dare try to pretend you're not!" If he didn't answer, she was seriously considering breaking open the door, just to make sure that he was okay.

An eternity later, Astrid heard things crashing around inside, and the door opened a crack. Hiccup peered out, his hair messy and clothes askew. His leg was missing, and a trail of items on the floor indicated he'd tripped over half the place trying to get to the door.

"Uh. Hi."

"Hi yourself." Astrid cut straight to the heart of the matter. "I want you to quit moping, eating tubs of ice cream, and waiting reruns of the Brady Bunch."

Hiccup scratched his head. "I'm... not watching the Brady Bunch?" he almost asked, puzzled.

"Since when did you wear bunny pajamas?" she asked.

"Since when did you come to my house to question me about my pajama habits?" he countered. He leaned up heavily against the door frame, almost losing his balance. Astrid moved to help him, but he brushed her away.

"Quit-" Astrid took a deep breath. She wasn't there to get onto Hiccup, she was there for emotional support like Camicazi had said.. "I came here to apologize. My stupidity almost killed Camicazi. I should have been more alert and paid more attention and moved. I'm sorry, Hiccup. Will you please forgive me?" She sucked in a big breath.

"You...think I'm mad at you?" Hiccup sounded surprised.

"Well, aren't you?" She would be mad at herself if she had gotten her best friend shot.

"No." Hiccup sighed. "I'm not mad at you. Why would you think that?"

Astrid was beginning to believe Hiccup had hearing issues. "She was shot. In the chest."

"If we're blaming somebody for her being shot, it was me," Hiccup said miserably. "I didn't do anything!"

"But-"

"I stood there like an idiot, just like six years ago, and another person almost died because of it."

"You didn't have much of a choice!" Astrid retorted, crossing her arms. "You couldn't have very well given the formula to Excellinor!"

"That guy had you held by the neck! Remember the night my house got ransacked? I thought there was a second person involved, and that must have been him. So it's my fault for forgetting about him! I didn't even prepare that well!" Hiccup's voice rose as he went on.

"It's my fault for not being able to get rid of him!" Astrid yelled right on back.

"Well, I should have gotten rid of him so you didn't have to get rid of him!"

Suddenly, she realized that they were standing nose to nose, yelling at the top of their lungs at each other.

Astrid broke the awkward silence without hesitation. "Are you even thinking about Camicazi?"

To not be in an even more awkward position with the door wide open and flies coming in, Hiccup moved outside of his house and shut the door slightly. "What do you mean, am I thinking about her? Of course I am!"

"No, you're not, because Camicazi doesn't want you to mope around your house for days in your pajamas," Astrid pointed out. "She wants you to live!"

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be stuck in the hospital!" Hiccup grumbled. "It's not like she's dead or anything."

"But she got shot in the chest, and there isn't much we can do about it." Astrid wasn't trying to be harsh; she bit her tongue at her own words until she could taste blood. It was just the truth. "So are you going to stay in your house for the rest of your life because of something that happened today and years ago, sitting around and moping, or are you going to get a move on it?"

"Sit around and mope," Hiccup mumbled.

Well, Astrid wasn't going to let him. "Excuse me, I didn't hear that. Care to repeat it? If Camicazi were well enough to lecture you right now, she'd call you a jellyfish in a skirt," Astrid continued. "Right after stealing your wallet."

Hiccup gave her a weak grin, the mental cogs of his mind almost visibly turning.

"So are you coming with me to the office or not?" Astrid asked. "We have work to get done and a get well card to sign."

Hiccup coughed into his fist. "Fine. Give me a second to get my crutch and leg."

Astrid grinned. "Now that's more like it."

…

Oh, she hates him, with every cell in her decaying body. She hates him! Everything was supposed to go so well! The runt AND the blonde were supposed to be dead, she would have the formula, and revenge would be filled! She would rule the world and accomplish everything her wimp of a son had failed at doing. The thief had ruined everything with her heroism. While others might have whispered the word in respect and awe, Excellinor spat and cursed it. The anger that should have been fulfilled only built up to a new raging crescendo, and Excellinor knew that Hiccup Haddock the Third would have to die by her claws at the mercy of her power.

Watch and wait, Excellinor, she told herself, watch and wait. He will show. And if he didn't, she would hunt him down the corners of the earth and quench her thirst for revenge.

…

He hadn't known he could feel so. He wasn't normally inclined to anger, but now he was smoking mad. Excellinor had almost taken away two of is friends and ripped open a scab of the past. Hurt was building up inside of him like a wire under tension, ready to snap. On the way home, he scoops up something he knows investigators will look for; they will not find their goal.

He will use it.

He will avenge the one who died for him years ago.

He will feel complete.

…

"So what are you going to do about Excellinor?" Astrid asked as she and Hiccup strolled through the park.

"I don't know," Hiccup muttered, rubbing his chin. He had completely ditched his crutch. Astrid didn't think that was wise, considering that she could count the number of times he'd been to physical therapy on one hand and have some left over, but if she asked, he would get all up tight.

"Ambushing her won't work again. Not that did in the first place, even if we did catch her goon." Astrid rubbed her neck where the scab from the knife was slowly starting to heal.

"No."

"I don't suppose..." Astrid trailed off, forgetting where she was going, and kicked a muddy pine cone across the paved walk way. "We could..."

"Nothing time consuming." Hiccup sighed, the motion having more weight than normal. "We don't want her running around."

"With a gun," Astrid agreed.

Hiccup's lips pursed together, and was it just Astrid's imagination, or did his eyes get harder? "Yes, with a gun."

"We've got to think of something," Astrid bemoaned. "Something that doesn't have the twins input smacked all over it."

They walked in silence for a couple of moments until Hiccup suddenly stopped. "Cami's mom called me and said to tell you that she'll be coming by for some 'necessities' Camicazi wanted. I believe there was something about a Care Bear stuffed animal, but you can't believe everything Snotlout says."

"Oh. I don't think she has a Care Bear stuffed animal, but you never know. How's your head?"

Hiccup frowned at the change of subject. "Bad. Really bad. I ate a raw fish last night."

"Whole?" Astrid was almost shocked.

"No. In halves." Hiccup chewed his lip in agony.

"It's only because Excellinor rattled you," Astrid assured him. "It'll get better." At least, she thought.

"I hope so. Talk to you later?" Hiccup asked. They had reached the parking lot.

"Yeah. Sure." Astrid gave Hiccup a little half wave as he hobbled away, lonely and sad as he scrunched up in his coat.