Hey everyone! Phew! Sorry about the long wait, but it's here! We follow immediately after last chapter and I foreshadow events of the next one, which will be REALLY fun to write! Thanks everyone! Read/Review/Enjoy/Criticize!

She woke up the next morning glad to see the dawn. Dawn meant that a new day was here, and that she could forget the troubles of last night, of the last year, of the last decade. Yes, it was a good day.

Valka dressed as quickly as she could and heard the clanking of pans and a cry of pain.

"Ow! Toothless, don't flick your tail that close to the oven!"

Valka giggled. So it would be a morning where Hiccup and Toothless playfully bantered then, would it? She enjoyed those mornings the most, even if a plate was sure to be broken.

She arrived at the kitchen table and saw her son cracking eggs into a heated pan. "Morning Mom," he chirped, kissing her cheek.

"Where's your father?" Valka asked, feeling guilty she hadn't realized he wasn't in the room that morning.

"He woke up before you did and I guess he didn't want to wake you. He was feeding the dragons when I woke up. Seconds later, Gobber came rushing in here claiming that there was a village-wide emergency, which turned out to only be that his axe was missing. Dad went to look for it and told me to make you breakfast and here I am."

Valka grinned. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I take it eggs are for breakfast?"

Hiccup gasped. "Now how did you guess that? There aren't any wild chickens running around here!"

"I can see into the future!" Valka joked, laughing. Her son laughed with her. There were these moments between them were sarcasm ruled and, having them both be gifted with the humor, they grasped them as joke-telling time.

But as his mother moved to pet Gruff and Toothless, Hiccup felt he needed to change the topic. "Have you told anyone yet?"

"No," she immediately answered. "No, I haven't. Have you told Astrid?"

He shook his head. "I'm not announcing it until you do."

Valka smiled. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek and took over making toast. "I don't want anyone to know just yet. I'm not past the four month mark."

Hiccup looked to her. "What's so special about four months?"

Valka sighed and bit her lip. That question brought her back to last night, the fear that she felt and the horror of the thought. But, it was her son who asked, and being a mother, that almost obligated her to tell him. Besides, he was twenty, old enough to know and understand the situation. So, she huffed, "Sometimes the baby doesn't live past three or four months, or even after that or out of the womb. I just want to be sure before anyone gets overly excited."

Hiccup nodded. Valka was afraid that her fear would be contagious and spread to Hiccup, but he usually showed his emotions the minute he felt them in his heart. He didn't look like he was distressed. He just nodded understandingly and scrambled the eggs, but for Hiccup, silence usually meant a buried emotion.

Valka was relieved when he spoke. "We'll get through this right?" he asked. "I've been praying every night for this to work out. I'm sure it will!"

Valka smiled. Hiccup looked just like Stoick when he tried to comfort her. It was the sweetest thing she could've ever asked for in both husband and son. "Yes, we will," she answered. "We'll survive." She patted her tummy. "And I think your little brother or sister agrees with me."

Hiccup grinned nervously. Hesitantly, he reached out to his mother's stomach and asked, "May I?"

Valka couldn't help but laugh. "You can. I don't know if you'll be able to feel any kick, but I do."

Hiccup rested his hand on his mother's stomach. He didn't feel any movement, just as his mother predicted, but he couldn't deny the feeling of thrill he found, realizing that it was just a small barrier from the little life, the little baby he called brother or sister. He loved it.

The door flew open and Hiccup ripped his hand away. Both mother and son were relieved to find only Stoick coming through the door, but he was accompanied by a familiar friend.

"Oh Bertha!" Gobber exclaimed as he rubbed the axe's blade against his cheek. "Thanks for helping me find Bertha, Stoick."

Stoick huffed and sat in his chair. "There are times I think that half the duties I have as chief are to help you recover lost items."

Gobber mockingly looked offended. "Well, excuse me High and Mighty Chief. The next time I need help, I'll go ask Spitelout or Horce. I'm sure they'll help me with no complaint." Instead of leaving the house at this point, as any normal being would, Gobber walked further into the Haddock house and sat beside Stoick. He glanced to Valka and Hiccup, and as much as the duo tried to hide the odor and sight, Gobber still sensed the meal. "Eggs," he delightedly remarked.

Hiccup groaned silently in defeat. There was no way of stopping Gobber from joining their breakfast now. Not quite reluctant but still regretful, Hiccup cracked three more eggs into the cooking mixture.

Valka smiled and neglected the ale Gobber passed to her. "How are you doing today, old friend?" she asked as she sat in her own chair.

"Much better now that Bertha's back with me." He lovingly stroked the blades and fingered its hilt.

Valka laughed and sipped her water. "Where was it?"

Stoick grumbled. "Under his bed."

Valka smiled and looked at Stoick. "I can't believe you didn't want to find Bertha after all the things she's done for us."

Stoick growled. "No. Don't you start making this axe like a human being too!"

"Well, it did save us from the Monstrous Nightmare on the first training day," Valka argued with a gleam in her eye.

"Thank you Valka," Gobber said. "This beauty was my first axe ever made. I treasure it. I love it. Why can't Stoick see that?"

Stoick rolled his eyes and growled. "I'm helping Hiccup with the eggs."

"No, no I got it!" Hiccup called. "Sit back down Dad. Please."

Stoick sat back down in defeat, ignoring the chuckles of his wife. She knew that Hiccup only protested help because he wanted to see his father mocked more. Oh well…Stoick would get back at him when he married Astrid…if he married Astrid.

"On to other matters," Gobber interjected. "I have some bad news."

"Oh no," Valka cynically moaned. "What happened now?"

Gobber's face twisted from the usual cheeriness to fear and embarrassment. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise to not kill the messenger."

In perfect synchronization, Toothless, Thornado, and Gruff perked their heads on either side of him, looking up at him, as if waiting for the cue from their riders to blow fire.

Gobber whimpered and glanced between Stoick and Valka. "I said to not kill. I'm your best friend!"

Valka giggled and snapped her fingers. She whistled once and hit the ground. "Down boys."

Reluctantly, and giving the perfect moans to show it, both Toothless and Gruff obeyed the Dragon Master in defeat.

Gobber sighed in relief. "Thank you. Now onto the bad news." He clasped his hands diplomatically and smiled nonchalantly. "Young women, top gossipers in the village, have teamed up with their mothers, grandmothers, and other influential dangerous people to see that within the next month, the chief, being Stoick, and the chief's wife, being Valka, reaffirm their reunion after thirteen years by recreating your marriage ceremony and renewing your vows." He cringed and shielded his face, awaiting an attack.

There was a few seconds of dead silence, save the sizzling of eggs in the background.

Finally, Valka hissed. "Beg pardon."

Gobber cringed. "The romantics in the village want you to remarry."

Stoick pinched his eyebrows. "But we're still married. Legally and…officially…"

"Child in the room!" Hiccup hollered.

Valka called back, "You made that connection yourself!" Then she turned to Gobber. "I am not dressing up and redoing my wedding."

"Well why not?" Gobber asked. "It's romantic and a good excuse for a party! Everyone around here is getting bored, even with impromptu dragon races, and I think this would be a good chance to show them that you're a happy family again."

Hiccup entered the den, holding three plates of eggs in his arms and balancing one on his head. "Yeah, and I agree with him."

Valka panicked and claimed the plate on top of his head for her own. Gobber grabbed the two on his left arm, handed one to Stoick, and Hiccup sat on the hearth with the only plate remaining.

"So as I was saying," Hiccup continued as he shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth, "I think it's a good idea. We'll have a party. I can have ale, and as I need to keep repeating, my first ale. Yeah, it'll just be a good party where we compromise the wants of the nosey women in the village with my need to drink alcohol and you can be romantic while I'm out of the house."

Valka giggled. "Keep mentioning your first ale and the occasion will happen when you're thirty."

Hiccup clamped his mouth shut after that and continued eating his breakfast.

"Hiccup!" came a call from outside.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shrieked as he laid his plate on the hearth and bounded up. "I forgot I made a date with her."

"Your breakfast!" Stoick protested.

Hiccup whirled around and exclaimed, "Right!" He gobbled down the rest of the breakfast in record time, making the adults' eyes widen. He finished, dropped the wooden plate, called for Toothless, and raced out the door.

Valka couldn't hold back her laughter as she shook her head. "If he denies his love for her once more…"

Stoick giggled, "We have a future daughter-in-law."

The flight with Astrid was, as usual, indescribable. They soared through the clouds and raced through the peaks of Berk, and unpredictably went past Berk, into the ice caps of the nearby Arctic, and they kept flying until the sunrise was over and the sun arrogantly paraded high in the sky.

Hiccup shouted to her over the wind, "Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

"What?" Astrid shrieked. "I can't hear you Hiccup! You'll have to tell me when we land." She coolly smiled at him.

Hiccup smiled back.

They eventually found a landing spot with minimal snow on the ground and a bush with edible berries nearby. They cuddled while Stormfly and Toothless hunted for fish.

Astrid sat on Hiccup's lap as he stroked her braided hair. He rubbed her shoulder with his other hand and just sat there, holding his angel in his arms. She rubbed his shoulders and laid her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"You've been quiet the last few weeks," she commented. "Every time I ask you how your family's doing, you just respond with "Fine." Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Yep. We're all fine. I promise. Now, I had to repeat something I yelled to you on the flight here. I asked, "Did I ever tell you that I love you?""

Astrid beamed. "Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't. Why not make sure?"

Hiccup pressed his lips against hers. Without pulling away, he whispered, "I love you, and I will love you until I die."

Astrid smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too, more than I can say."

They enveloped each other, hugging each other tightly. Hiccup kissed her cheeks and her forehead. "Will you marry me?"

Astrid tore from the embrace. "What?"

Hiccup had just realized what he said. He stuttered, shaking. "Uh…I asked you if…I mean it's only if you want to…you, you didn't let me finish…." He fiddled with his hair and couldn't find the words. "I-I thought that you wanted to…I mean if you don't that's okay it's really sudden and a strong commitment which we're probably not even wise enough to make…"

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried. "Do you want to get married?"

Hiccup was reminded of when his father first told him of getting married, six months ago. He remembered being terrified of the word "husband." He was even more terrified now. Husband…husband…husband…the terror didn't die no matter how many times he repeated the word. So he licked his lips and stuttered, "D-Do-do-do you?"

Astrid half-smirked, rubbing her arms. "Do you?"

"No, don't ask me…don't ask me what to do. I don't…I guess, yeah I wanna get married!"

Astrid giggled. "Maybe we could get married."

"Do you want to get married?"

Astrid sucked in her lips. "Yeah."

Hiccup lost his breath. "You-you want to get married? To me?"

Astrid smiled and sheepishly looked to the ground. "Is anyone else asking me to marry them?"

Hiccup panicked. "Are there? I don't blame them…you're gorgeous and I've loved you since I first set eyes on you!"

Astrid gasped. "You did?"

Hiccup nodded. "So…so…" He grabbed her hand, kissed it, and knelt down on one knee. "Astrid Hofferson, will you marry me?"

She beamed. She started nodding slowly. Then, ecstatic, she nodded and knelt down to him. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He kissed her back.

They released and Hiccup caught his breath. "Is that a yes?"

Astrid blankly stared at her fiancé and deadpanned, "Because my making out with you is a definite sign that I'm saying no?"

Hiccup laughed hysterically and kissed her again. "I'm so lucky. I've got the best fiancé in the world."

Astrid smirked. "But in Hiccup World I said no, remember?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Hiccup World is denied visiting from this moment forward. I want to love you until all the love in the world runs out Astrid. And I think we all know that the love in this world will never disappear."

Astrid smiled. "I know. I love you too, but I'll love you until all the love in the world runs out, but then I'll go hunting for more, and then I'll love you with that."

Hiccup smiled and kissed her. "Like I said, I am amazingly lucky."

"Valka!" her friend called.

Valka smiled as she rubbed Gruff's nose and fed Cloudjumper a piece of a shark in the Academy. "Hello Agnetha. Have you heard from Astrid if any attempts to join those two together in matrimony have blossomed?"

Agnetha Hofferson shook her head. "She hasn't uttered a word."

Valka giggled. "Neither has my son. So sad when two people deny that they're in love when they so clearly are."

Agnetha twirled her blonde braid against her shoulder. "Speaking of weddings…"

"Agnetha, we're about to be related through our children and share who are bound to be adorable grandchildren. Don't spoil it by encouraging this fake wedding."

Agnetha smiled. "I'm not. It wasn't even my idea, but have you made a decision? Half the women in the village are head over heels about what you decide."

Valka sighed and pulled back her graying hairs. "I have."

"And?"

Valka smiled and waved her hands excitedly. She squealed, "I'm getting married!"

As if to join in the thrill, her baby fluttered his or her little feet against her womb. I know you're happy Mommy. I know.