Did 'ya miss me? No? Okay. :) 'Tis I, here to finish up this story. I will be finishing it up today, by the way, and then going back into hiatus until January. I will, however, be writing a Christmas piece. :) So, yeah. Shout-outs:

xFaerieValkyriex: Thanks! Yeah, I don't like stress...it's very...stressful, I guess. :) And YES, it was so sad when Hiccup and Toothless were separated and I thought "Oh no TOOOOTHHHHLEEEESS!" and then he was rescued and I'm like "YYYAAAAAYYY!"

Edlover23: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, me too!

ScarletNightFury: I know, right? I LOVE the name Toothless! In fact, if I ever have a black cat, I'm probably going to name him Toothless. :)

Jesusfreak: Thanks! For some reason, I especially liked that last chapter when I was writing it just because...I don't know. :) Merry Christmas to you, three! :)

Night fury demon: I'm glad you like it! And I will finish this up today, so yeah. :)

ADayWithNoLaughterIsADayWasted: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! All my reviewers are so amazingly awesome. :)

silverwolvesarecool: Aaah, it's good to be back, Sil. :) I missed you guys!

Glee Clue Rock 1251: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

Malik The Night Angel: Thank you for the review! :D

Breyannia: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Makes me go into SUPER HAPPY MODE! *does little dance that looks totally awkward* :D

Guest: THANKS! :D

Lord Jaric: Ah, I know what you mean. But she was saving Hiccup, so I think Toothless'll forgive her. :) Thanks for the review, by the way.

flame: AAAH I AM SO GLAD YOU LIKE IT! *dances* *crashes into bookshelf* *falls over* *stands up* Okay, yeah, maybe I shouldn't dance. HAHA!

Toothless curled up in the corner, isolating himself from the rest of the dragons in Valka's sanctuary. He refused to come out. He had nearly taken off Valka's hand when she tried to pet him; that was for Hiccup and the other Berkians to do. His friends. Although he was certain Valka wouldn't hurt him, he wasn't going to allow himself to get distracted.

At that moment, the only thing on his mind was Hiccup, his rider, his master, whom he had let get shot and carried away by Astrid on Stormfly. Of course, he was fine with Hiccup finding help, but he wanted to know where and how he was, at least.

Then, Cloudjumper flew in, and without another word, grabbed Toothless in his claws and headed back in the direction of which he came. Toothless struggled, and then stopped abruptly when they reached their destination. Cloudjumper dropped him, and allowed him to run up to his rider.

Hiccup had never been so happy to see Toothless in his entire life. He sat up as his dragon ran forward, coating him in a thick spray of dragon saliva. For the first time in forever, Hiccup didn't protest.

"Toothless!" he said, resting his head against his dragon's. He pulled back and stared into Toothless' eyes. "Bad dragon, very bad dragon!" he said, but he was smiling. "You scared me to death! Don't EVER do anything like that again!"

Valka watched the scene. Yes, this was Hiccup's dragon, and by the looks of it, they were close. Very close. Hiccup had mentioned living among the dragons for five years; he had probably known Toothless for the same amount.

"How did you find him?" said Astrid. She had her own questions that needed answering. Why was Toothless here? Did Valka capture him? Was he a prisoner? Did Valka plan to keep her, Toothless and Hiccup prisoners, too? "Where did you find him? What's he doing here?"

"My dragons found him at sea," said Valka. "They brought him here. I don't know where he came from, but I think I do now." She nodded to Hiccup, still playfully scolding Toothless while the dragon carried a grin on his face.

Still, though, it sounded a little strange. He had teeth.

"Why the name Toothless?" she asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "It was really the first thing I had actually said to him when I found him," he said. "I guess the name kind of stuck after that. Besides, I think he likes it." Toothless cooed in agreement.

Valka couldn't help but smile. But she still had her own questions. "So, you're from Berk, from what you said about being the heir of the Hooligan tribe," she said to Hiccup. Hiccup nodded. "They train dragons, now?"

"Well, yeah," said Hiccup. "They've kind of moved in. People have changed in the last five years."

Slowly but surely, Astrid was feeling more and more comfortable around Valka. She didn't trust her entirely, but she knew Valka hadn't lied about a single thing so far. Plus, she had saved Hiccup's life. And to Astrid, anyone who did that deserved a second chance.

"Is that so?" said Valka. She shook her head. The Berkians? Changing? What about Stoick? It seemed impossible. "How did all that come to be?"

"It's...ah...a rather interesting story, actually," said Hiccup. "But it really didn't cost anyone much." He gestured to his prosthetic. "Just me, actually."

So Hiccup lost his leg for Berk. Valka felt a strange sense of pride. Her son had ended the war between dragons and vikings. And she hadn't even been there to see it.

She felt a pang of guilt plague her instantly; how did Hiccup cope when he lost his leg? What about the months that followed the event? She couldn't imagine it had been easy. And where had she been the whole time? Sitting around with the dragons instead of with her family. Should she even tell Hiccup that she was his mother? He might hate her for abandoning him.

"So, Valka, I believe," said Astrid, "how did you come to be here?"

"I..." Valka hesitated. Now, she had the choice: tell Hiccup and Astrid of her life on Berk, or keep it a secret. She couldn't lie to either of them, though. One of them was bound to see through it. And even if they didn't, she couldn't lie to her own son. Especially after abandoning him for twenty years. Still, she could have told them it was a "touchy subject", too, without lying. But he needed to know. They needed to know, Hiccup and Astrid alike.

"I once lived on Berk," said Valka. That was it. Here it came. "I was abducted by dragons, twenty years ago. Cloudjumper specifically." She rubbed her dragon's chin, for either reassurance or gesture, she didn't know. "I learned the truth about dragons, yet never thought to go back. I thought that maybe, just maybe, the Berkians, you two included, would have been better without me. I couldn't put anyone in danger just because I couldn't kill a dragon."

The story stunned and shocked Hiccup and Astrid, leaving them to think it over.

"I couldn't kill one, either, when it came to it," said Hiccup, breaking the settling silence. "I guess you and I have a lot in common."

Hearing that hurt a lot more than Valka would have known possible. He hadn't figured it out on his own. By the hesitation in his voice, he was really thinking about it; trying to piece it together.

"Yes," she said finally, nodding towards her son, although he didn't know that he was. "Yes, you and I have a lot more in common than you realize, Hiccup."

"That's...insanely creepy," said Hiccup, and frowned slightly. "What do you mean? What are you talking abo...oh man." He looked at Valka, suddenly shocked. Valka nodded. He had pieced the puzzle together; he had figured out what Valka meant. "No, it can't...it can't be..." he said. "It's...it's not possible!"

"What's not possible!?" shouted Astrid, suddenly angry. "What is it!? What's not...Hiccup, tell me!"

Hiccup only continued to stare at the woman he now knew as his mother. Valka stared back at him, both relieved and worried. Relieved he had figured it out without her having to tell him, and worried at what he might say.

"Well, cool," he said. Then fainted.