And here it is. The last bit of Cheating Death - I've really enjoyed writing these stories and I'm glad that you all have enjoyed them as well. I've got another epic story planned out but I need to finish some of the others first. Having four stories at once was a little bit of an overload.

Thanks again for all your support and reviews - you are all AWESOME! You should all have the "Everything is Awesome" song as your theme. Seriously, thank you!

X - Epilogue - X

Toothless evened out on the wind and Hiccup pushed the automatic tailfin down. He retracted his legs from the sides to crouch on the saddle. He paused in case of tailfin malfunction. When everything seemed alright he looked over the side. The air was cool and clear all the way down to the glistening ocean below.

"Alright, you ready, Toothless?"

Toothless grunted what sounded like a "No."

Hiccup reached for his newly finished helmet and pulled it over his head. With his face protected from the wind he took a deep breath and jumped from the saddle. The feeling was absolutely phenomenal. He shouted as the wind rush passed him and Toothless pulled into a dive beside him. His blood was pumping. His limbs were shaking.

"This is amazing!"

Toothless warbled. Dragons do this all the time.

It was now or never. Hiccup reached down to his legs where he'd stashed the lower wings of his prototype flight suit. He grabbed the leather straps holding his wings in and yanked them. The wind caught underneath them and he slowed. Instead of a downward plunge he was moving along a diagonal.

"It's working!" Hiccup shouted. It wasn't the ideal outcome but it was a start. He needed more resistance and a greater wing span. The leather straps were loose in his fists and he needed a more practical way to hold them in place. "Alright, Toothless."

He reached for the saddle and pulled himself back on. He stuck his prosthetic into the foothold and unhooked the automatic tailfin and could instantly feel the change in the mechanism. The auto-fin was nice but it was a pain to maneuver in.

"What do you think, Bud? Should we head back?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless warbled, then his head turned sharply to the east, his eyes narrowed and his lobes twitching.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked. He'd no sooner asked then seen the figure emerge from the clouds. It was Hookfang and Snotlout. Hiccup groaned. The day had been peaceful.

"Hiccup!" Snotlout yelled.

"Yes, Snotlout?"

"I've been looking for you for like three hours!" Snotlout complained.

"Why?"

"Seriously, you know how hard it is to find you?"

"Why, Snotlout?"

"Right, whatever, Stoick told us to go find you to tell you that Astrid's in labor."

"What?" Hiccup asked, the words at first not sinking it with meaning. Then his heart might have stopped. "WHAT?"

Hiccup didn't want for whatever quip Snotlout had planned. He pushed Toothless and he soared passed them, racing themselves toward Berk, as fast as Toothless would go.

Berk finally came into view and Toothless went straight for the house. Stoick was standing outside and Hiccup jumped from the saddle before Toothless had landed.

"Dad!"

"Ah, there you are, it's about time." Stoick said.

"What's happening?" Hiccup asked, breathlessly, heading for the door.

"It's better if you stay out here, Son. Trust me. You don't want those women pushing you out. They can get mean." Stoick shook his head. "It's best to leave these things to them. They know better."

Hiccup let his hand fall from the door but his question was cut short but a piercing scream from the house, bloodcurdling and horrible, and he reached for the door again.

"No, trust me, it's best if the father stays out here. It's a madhouse in there right now." Stoick said, reaching out for Hiccup's arm.

"But,"

"I know, Son. I felt the same way when you were born." Stoick said. He half-laughed as a rush of frantic women's voices drifted through the cracks in the door. "I was standing out here, not knowing what to do, completely lost. I was so panicked, and afraid, but…all that went away the first time I held that tiny bundle."

There was a warmth in his father's eyes that he rarely saw. He was looking down at his hands as if something had once been there.

Astrid's screams filled the house once again. Hiccup's heart stopped. He never heard Astrid cry like this before. He couldn't imagine the pain she must be in. He'd been told the basics of childbirth and it sounded as horrible as it was amazing. She screamed again and he could hear the women in the house talking over her.

Her screams increased in pain and frequency while Hiccup waited impatiently on the other side of the door. Her screams gave a high pitched gasp and suddenly the shrill cry of a baby echoed through the house.

"Ah, there it is," Stoick said with a warm smile on his father.

Hiccup stood but his legs were wobbly. He was still in a state of disbelief that he could be a father. When he thought of fatherhood he saw his own father. If he could be half the father that his was then he would be content, because he knew that he would never be able to complete with Stoick the Vast.

It was only a few moments but it felt much longer than that. Finally, Ingrid opened the door with a weary smile on her face. She nodded at Hiccup, "It's alright, Dad. Come on in."

Hiccup couldn't feel his legs. Stoick gave him a nudge inside and he began to stalk toward the stairs. The baby cries had been extinguished and the house felt oddly quiet. He took each stair at a time, feeling his legs wobble with each one, and finally made it to the top.

Astrid, weary and tired, was laying in their bed. Her hair was stuck to her sweaty forehead and she looked as though she hadn't slept in days. She wore the most amazing smile on her face as she looked down at the bundle in her arms. She rocked it gently against her chest. She held a finger over the bundle and Hiccup's heart thumped when he saw five tiny fingers close around hers.

Astrid looked up at him, a soft smile on her lips, her voice hoarse, "Hey,"

"Hey," Hiccup nodded.

"Would you like to hold you son?"

"Son?" Hiccup's breath almost caught in his throat. He nodded and took the few steps to the bedside. He sat down beside her and glanced into the tiny bundle. He was feeding, holding onto his mother's finger with his pudgy little hand, eyes closed. Hiccup gingerly touched the baby's head.

"He's so small." Hiccup whispered. His son, so tiny and squishy. "He's so…raw."

"Well, he did just come out of the fire. He just doesn't have his Viking-skin yet. Give him a few weeks."

Hiccup leaned in and kissed his wife. She was exhausted and sweaty but absolutely beautiful. The baby between them stirred and unlatched from his mother's milk. Astrid handed him to Hiccup who took him into uncertain arms. The weight of the squirming infant was unbelievable. Hiccup reached down and ran his little finger along the baby's pale cheek.

His son.

His son's tiny fingers closed around his little finger. He had such a grip for such a small Viking.

"My son?" Hiccup felt a lump in his throat.

"I'm pretty sure it's yours," Astrid smiled weakly.

Hiccup smiled back at her, "You're lucky you're adorable when you're tired."

Stoick came up the stairs and at the sight of his new grandchild he was ecstatic. When he heard the news that he had a new grandson his face widened into a broad smile. He leaned over Hiccup's shoulder at the child, sleeping in his father's arms, the first bits of Haddock red hair on his head.

X