Chapter 8.

Astrid was beyond thankful her stomach finally settled that evening. She'd even had enough energy to let Tom take her outside and show her the progress he'd made in the garden. It looked splendid already, and she trusted Tom more than herself to do the chore, for he'd been the one to grow up when it was at its full potential, after all. She told him to clean it up just like it used to be, and come next year they'd plant some new flowers, since it was too late in the year to do it any sooner.

She went to sleep that night, exhausted, but… some how hopeful. Her future had been flipped upside down with buy the house, but for whatever reason, it almost felt like a good thing.

Astrid got up and yawned, beyond relieved that her stomach was on good terms with her again. She went and tugged out some clothes, a red shirt and brown shorts, before heading to the bathroom and doing her hair. She stared at her reflection, watching her own eyes. Again, they reminded her of Hiccup, and what his eyes looked like beneath the glow. She tilted her head at the curious thought.

There was the bang of the heavy entry doors, and Astrid hurried to grab some socks before hurrying out the door and through the kitchen. Toothless, who'd slept beneath the stove, jumped up and yipped excitedly, as though he'd sensed the new intruder.

The boys were nowhere to be seen, probably since the doors were still locked. Even though Hiccup had the freedom to pass through the doors if he so wished, he hadn't done it at all over the past week. It was clear he respected her rules, which she was greatly thankful for. She did not know what she'd do if she had a rebellious ghost on her hands.

Taylor had dropped all her packages and bags in the entry way, extending her arms and saying loudly "I'm home!", so her voice echoed across the ceiling. She laughed and reached down to give Toothless's head a fond pat. She looked up, catching Astrid's gaze. "Welp, you look healthy. Hiccup take good care of you?" Was that… a teasing tone in her voice?

The little devil.

"Yes, he did." Astrid replied sweetly. Taylor stuck out her tongue and turned her attention back to Toothless.

The door cranked open again, and in came a hesitant and jittery Fishlegs, a giant knap-sack on his back. He glanced about nervously before letting the door swing shut. He didn't see anything so odd.

"Good morning, Astrid." Fishlegs greeted with a little wave of his hand. "H-how are you?"

"I'm good, Fishlegs." Astrid smiled and moved to give him a quick hug. "I can't say I'm overjoyed that you know…" She sharpened her tone, directing it straight towards Taylor. She pretended not to notice. "But, since you do, you might be able to help us."

"Help you?"

There was a soft knock on the door, interrupting Astrid just as she was about to explain. She closed her mouth and held up a finger, signaling him to wait.

She trotted up the stairs, ticking through her keys as she went. "I'm coming!" She called to whoever it was on the other side of the ballroom door.

She slipped it in the lock, and out came Tom. There was a flicker behind him that made Astrid think Hiccup was there too, but for whatever reason (Probably Fishlegs) he chose not to show himself.

"Tom, this is Fishlegs." Astrid introduced as she shut the door. Tom turned to stare blankly at the newcomer.

Fishlegs grinned nervously and shuffled from one foot to the other. Astrid wasn't sure, but somehow, she could feel Tom tense up. Had this been a bad idea after all? She'd expected this behavior from Hiccup. She would've thought Tom to be the one happy to meet another person.

Apparently she was wrong.

"H-h-hello." Fishlegs' stutter was purely nerves induced.

Astrid and Tom reached the bottom steps, now face to face with Taylor and Fishlegs. Tom still hadn't said a word.

Astrid gave him a little nudge, wondering what was up. "Tom?"

"It's nice to meet you." He spoke in a monotone, confusing her further. He hesitated, before finally sticking his hand out for a grudging shake. Taylor and Astrid watched on in bemusement.

Astrid noticed his rigid stance suddenly melted into one that resembled defeat. He smiled slightly, almost sadly.

"Are you the ghost?" Fishlegs whispered in a hush. Tom shook his head with a quiet laugh.

"No, no… well, yes, I suppose. But not like what you're thinking. I was some how skimped on the magical abilities." Tom said it jokingly, but somehow it lacked his normal luster.

Astrid glanced to Taylor. She seemed to have noticed it too, for she merely shrugged.

"You're not?" Fishlegs inquired, almost in relief. "So, you're Tom, then? Taylor told me a lot about you."

Tom's eyes brightened. "She did?"

"She said you couldn't swim, and you had really black hair. She's right- about the hair. I-I wouldn't know about the swimming." Fishlegs flustered, but smiled. Toothless chose that moment to shuffle to his feet and move forward, snuffling at Fishlegs' shoes. "Is this Toothless?"

"Yes, he's Hiccup's dog." Astrid smiled and gave the large dog's back a fond pat. He wagged his tail without lifting his head from the stranger's shoes.

"…Hiccup?" Fishlegs inquired cautiously. "Where is he?"

The air fizzled beside Astrid, and she could just barely feel something touch her arm. She couldn't help the chill that raced down her spine, but she knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

Hiccup formed and stood awkwardly with his hands tucked into his pockets, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there.

Fishlegs squeaked and jumped back, his knap-sack slapping against the door and pinning him to that spot. Taylor guffawed some quiet laughter, while Tom defensively crossed his arms.

Hiccup began to fade away again. It was obvious how… uncomfortable he was, and Astrid felt a sympathetic pain in her chest. She reached automatically for his hand and gripped it tightly, hoping to offer at least some bit of comfort.

"H-h-hi." Fishlegs stuttered. He reached a hand up to readjust his glasses, blinking in amazement at the ghost boy. "So… um." He cleared his throat. "Taylor said you were…"

"A ghost." Hiccup echoed. "Yeah, an exhibit." It was a sarcastic whisper under his breath, filled with self loathing. Astrid was the only one who heard it, she being the closest, although she suspected Toothless picked it up as well, for his ears pricked forward and he whined worriedly.

Astrid bit her lip.

This was a really bad idea. She should never have let Fishlegs come.

"You're not an exhibit." She whispered in return, nudging his elbow with her own.

"How does it work?" Fishlegs whispered in awe. He pulled a notebook from out of nowhere and flipped it open, pencil poised.

"We don't know." Tom answered simply. "We're… hoping to figure it out."

Fishlegs looked to Taylor. "Is that why I'm here? You guys want me to help?" His voice was filled with bubbling excitement, barely contained. His jittery attitude, somehow, in an odd way relaxed Hiccup, for he softened and let go of her hand. Astrid took that as a sign that he was alright.

"I think we should all go to the Berk library, says I." Fishlegs stated enthusiastically.

"Actually, I think we might have more luck here, in this library." Astrid looked to Hiccup. "Or… maybe even in your room."

"But those won't have any of the facts that happened between their time and ours." Fishlegs protested.

"Let's give this library a shot before we go anywhere. Besides, we still have to show you around." Astrid smiled and moved forward to tuck Taylors bags against the wall as the others began making their way up the steps towards the ballroom.

She hurried to follow them and fell to walk beside Hiccup. Somehow, it always happened. Tom walked with Taylor and Hiccup walked with her. Only, today, Tom walked behind Taylor and Fishlegs.

"Is something wrong? Perhaps I shouldn't have had him come." Astrid whispered so the others wouldn't here.

Hiccup shook his head. "It's perfectly alright. I mean, it is your house. You have a right to invite who you want to."

Astrid opened her mouth to say more, then let it shut again. He was right. It was her house, she could invite whomever she wished, and yet… she balanced all her decisions on what would fit right for Hiccup and Tom.

It filled her with a warm feeling. It felt odd, yet so good. She couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, however.

"Yes, but you and Tom share this house equally." By the time Astrid found something to say, they'd already crossed the ballroom floor. Fishlegs was going on and on about how beautiful it was, while Taylor had stopped Tom and looked to be asking him something.

Astrid continued. "If it wasn't for you two haunting this place, I'd never would have bought this house. So, techniquely, half this house belongs to you."

Hiccup shook his head but didn't say anything more. Astrid hoped that was a good sign, and that he wasn't upset.

"How big is this place, again?" Fishlegs asked excitedly.

Astrid glanced back at Tom and Taylor, who were finally following. She stepped over the last step onto the balcony overhanging the doors, looking down at the large floor below. With the chandelier hanging overhead, and the small stage with the stove and small kitchenette in the back, it was beautiful.

"Miss Astrid?" Hiccup asked, holding the door open for her: the last person remaining.

She ducked through quickly. The others had already disappeared inside the library door, the sounds of fabric rustling suggested they were opening curtains, followed by a few topples.

"Oops." Fishlegs squeaked.

Astrid and Hiccup filed in with Toothless at their heels. The library was covered in a fine layer of dust, one of the rooms they'd failed to clean yet. There was a large oak desk backed against the large day windows in the back, which allowed the morning light to stream through the panes, sending the place to shimmering and highlighting the dust even more.

"Good grief." Astrid coughed as she picked out a book, sending dust flying everywhere. She fanned the front of her face with her hand. "This is ridiculous."

Hiccup was the only one not trying to protect their face from the dust. He began moving about and scanning through labels, at one point giving a cry of excitement and tugging out an old leather bound book. He tucked it under his arm.

"Did you find something?" Astrid asked, excited.

"Oh… um… n-no." It was the first time he'd done it, and it was the answer as to why he normally didn't lie. He stunk at it.

"What's that book then, Mister?" Astrid crossed her arms suspiciously.

Hiccup laughed nervously as he set the book on a high shelf, out of reach from all of them. Drat him and his height. "Just… something I thought I'd lost. It's nothing that'll help us."

Astrid watched as he scanned through more books, sometimes pulling them out and scanning through them, while others he merely took out to read the backs. For him, it must be like going through memories, and it was no wonder he took awhile to make his way through them all.

By the time he reached the desk, the dust was so heavy it was nearly suffocating. It forced Fishlegs and Taylor out of the room, leaving just Astrid and Tom to watch.

"Find anything, Hiccup?" Tom inquired from behind his hand.

"Lots of Dad's old papers." Hiccup's voice was hoarse. Astrid almost volunteered to look through them herself if they caused him any pain, but he didn't stop scanning through them, so she figured he had them covered. How long had it been since he- or Tom- had last been in the library? It looked like it had been a long time.

And by both of their expressions, maybe they hadn't touched it since their death. It had been their father's library, after all.

"So…?"

"I found something." Hiccup breathed. He pulled out a giant wad of paper from the desk drawer, letting it slam to the desk top with an explosion of dust. Astrid moved forward and eyed the top handwritten page, recognizing the handwriting as that that'd been on the front page of the diary.

"Dad has notes here… they date back to a month before their accident."

"It mentions Drago." Tom pointed out, tapping his finger at the name towards the bottom of the page. "Did he know he was in danger, all that time?"

Astrid felt like she was intruding on their personal life. She took a step back, preparing to leave, when Hiccup straightened and grabbed the bundle with him, pausing only to grab the book he'd set on the top shelf.

"Let's get out of here and see if we can find something in all of this."

Taylor jumped up from her seat on the floor when she spotted them, grinning widely and clasping her hands. "So? Any good news?"

"We found some stuff- we'll see if they offer any information."

They hauled the papers down into the family room, each taking a chunk of the papers and slowly scanning through them, after telling Fishlegs the full story. He was absolutely fascinated by the entire thing, and didn't look one ounce afraid when he sat down on the sette next to Hiccup, asking curious questions and telling him a bit about himself, saying "I know a lot about you, I think it's only fair if you know stuff about me, some."

It wasn't said so much in words, but Hiccup's facial expressions spoke volumes. He enjoyed the company, even if he didn't admit it.

Astrid smiled from her place in her chair, a stack of thirty-some papers scattered around her. She turned back, disappointed that as of yet, they were mostly business related. Lots of figures and data. It was all very interesting to see what the stats were like back then, but none of the information was very helpful.

"I'm done." Taylor set her pile on the coffee table and flopped back against the couch, shaking her head. "Not a thing in there except the price of cotton."

"Same here, only… it was business rates." Tom set his stack atop of Taylor's. He looked sorely disappointed. "Hiccup?"

His bright green yes flickered, and she could tell he'd looked up, even though his head hadn't moved. "Yeah, nothing much here either. Just that Dad made a business deal with Drago… a few days before the accident. Something concerning a "debt" and that there was an appointment to be met on the following Tuesday."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing." Hiccup sighed, his shoulder drooping as he gently set the papers on the table. He fell back against the couch and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm starting to think this is hopeless."

"Not entirely! We still have the library to look through." Fishlegs stated.

Astrid's brow was scrunched up in deep thought, the other's voices a blur as she pondered. A thought came, and she almost shoved it away. Going back to the scene of the crime- Hiccup's death- might reveal something. Or help Hiccup remember… anything. She wondered if they could find that spot again, or if it even remained.

And if it would be a good idea at all. She couldn't imagine it wouldn't be a traumatic experience for both the boys.

"I have an idea." She said, embarrassed when she realized she'd interrupted Fishlegs mid-sentence. She sat up straighter, nervously gnawing her lip. "What if… what if we go back to the scene of the crime? To the place where Hiccup met Drago."

Hiccup's face grew almost paler- if that was even possible. He swallowed visibly, but the others looked curious as to what she meant.

"Maybe… I don't know. My woman's intuition is just saying that there might be something there." She flopped back, feeling embarrassed for bringing it up at all.

"No, I think you're onto something." Tom agreed, gesturing lightly with his hands. "Hiccup might… I don't know. What do you think?"

Hiccup's voice was quiet, but steady and calm. "It's… worth a try."

"And if that fails, we'll go to the library." Fishlegs said happily. He got to his feet and started to the door, then paused. "Where did you say the accident was again?"

"The Red Death bridge." Hiccup reminded. "Right beside it, next to the river."

"You'll have to show us where." Astrid got to her feet and fished in her pockets for the car keys. The others got up and made their way to the doors, while Toothless bounced beside them with excited yips.

"M-miss?" Hiccup stuttered, hurrying to walk beside her. His fingers were tapping together nervously. "I-I… don't think I should come. What if someone sees me?"

"Oh-" Astrid's step faltered, but then an idea popped into her head, and she snapped her fingers. "Fishlegs. I bet he has some sunglasses in his car."

"S-sunglasses?"

"Yes, I'll show you." Astrid hurried to catch up with Fishlegs and asked him. He immediately rushed off to get the said items, returning them to Hiccup and Astrid, both now waiting by the car.

Astrid took the glasses and unfolded them, extending them up in front of Hiccup's face for a test try. You could faintly see the glow behind them, but from a distance or quick glance, he could totally pass for ordinary.

"I think those will work." Astrid nodded her head in satisfaction. She hooked the glasses over his ears and stepped back, smiling. "You look great."

Hiccup tilted his head and looked around at their surroundings, a smile slowly spreading across his face as his gaze landed on the car. It was then she realized: He'd never been in a car. Or, at least, a modern one. Perhaps he'd ridden in one of those ancient first models.

Which, personally, she was a bit jealous of. She'd give anything to ride in one of those things.

"Ready?"

He laughed hesitantly. "I… I suppose."

She opened the door and slid into the drivers seat beside Tom, who was eagerly strapped into the passenger seat. Taylor, Fishlegs, and Hiccup were all squished into the back seat, with Toothless bouncing around in the trunk.

"This should be interesting." Astrid smiled and looked into the rear view mirror. "Get ready for your first ride in the horseless carriage!"

"That's… that's a train." Hiccup said with a little laugh.

"Same difference." Astrid turned the key in the ignition and the engine quietly hummed to life. "Off we go."

I plan to update again next week on the eighth (hopefully XD). That chapter will also clear up a few of the things that were left unanswered in this chapter, like what was up with Tom and the likes. And we're going to get some serious answers as to how to break the entire curse.

There's still a ways to go until we reach the end of this story. Thanks for sticking with me this far! See you next week. ;)