The amount of positivity I'm receiving from everyone is amazing :) plus I love that when you point out something I could work on/something that needs fixing, everyone is super polite and kind about it. You all really are great readers :)

Now, something I need to address. I've been getting a lot of messages about Merida from Brave. All I'm going to say is be patient!

There were no words. Any sort of grief and anger that rattled Hiccup's brain were replaced with emptiness. If was like her statement switched off the part of his mind that allowed him to make coherent thoughts.

"Wh-what?"

Astrid wiped her nose and untangled her arms from around him. Hiccup did the same, although he didn't really want to.

"The suits were very thorough in their explanation of my disappearance when I changed." Her voice was hollow, but the tears had stopped. "Given the situation, it was just easier for them to tell my parents I died. At least, that's what they said."

"Astrid-."

"No." She shook her head firmly, sending blonde bangs into her eyes. "I didn't tell you so you could feel sorry for me."

"It's okay to be upset," Hiccup argued. "It's not bad to feel things, Astrid."

"I feel things," she snapped, watching Hiccup roll his eyes and place his hands on either side of her.

"Yeah, anger," he snorted. "But you shut people out on a daily basis. Maybe if you talk about it-"

"I don't want to talk about it! I only told you so maybe you wouldn't be upset anymore; you would understand the pain thatall of us go through." Astrid tried to wiggle out from Hiccup's arms on either side of her, but he was standing firm. Sighing, she folded her arms and glared up at him. "I didn't tell you so we could have a Dr. Phil session."

"Your parents think you're dead," he growled through clenched teeth. "If that doesn't bother you, then you're lying."

Astrid looked away from him, pointedly glaring at the floor instead. God, she was stubborn. Hiccup was about to storm out, let her sit there quiet if she wanted to. He'd offered his help and Astrid denied it. He wasn't required to do anything else.

Then, he caught sight of the small tear in the corner of her eye and he sighed. Moving his hands from the table to the side of Astrid's face, Hiccup slowly tilted her head up to look at him.

"Astrid." Her glare melted away and for split second Hiccup saw her lip tremble. "I thought we were friends. I just told you about why my dad hates my guts. You can trust me. Just talk to me."

For a moment, Hiccup thought she was going to. Her blue eyes seemed painfully bright as she gazed him, mouth slightly slacked and tears beginning to overflow again. One small hand overlapped his on her cheek as the first stream of water fell down her face.

"Hiccup…"

"Astrid, I need-oh!"

It was like someone shocked her. She shoved Hiccup away so fast he barely had time to register that someone walked in, before his back was hitting the table opposite of Astrid. She hopped off the table, furiously wiping away her tears and straightening her hair, before finally looking up at Punzie, frozen in the doorway.

"Um, I'm sorry," Punzie squeaked, cheeks reddening. Hiccup shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down, away from her questioning gaze. Astrid didn't even look at him. Bright red in the face as well, she was probably pretending the last five minutes didn't happen. "Jack and Snot are about to leave for the prison and I couldn't find your notes on Jinx."

"Okay, I'm coming."

Astrid walked swiftly from the room, never turning to look back at Hiccup.

"But it looks like its all mountain. Why would he buy a hunk of rock?"

"Hm." Wiz leaned into his computer screen, squinting slightly as he examined the satellite image. "They might have a structure inside the mountain."

"Yeah!" Ruff agreed, spinning in her chair. "Easy to hide, hard for people to detect any of your technology, and physically it'd be near impossible to penetrate."

"Except for whatever door they would have to get in." Hiccup leaned over Wiz's shoulder, looking at the image himself. "That's what we need to find."

Jack and Snot had left moments ago to go interrogate Jinx and the group was now eagerly awaiting their return. Of course, they wouldn't even arrive to the prison until morning so they had a couple days to wait for their Colorado trip.

"We also need to make sure every villain isn't waiting inside," Astrid piped up from the back of the room. She'd been herself, normal, since she left with Punzie. There was no evidence on hers, or Hiccup's, face of the painful secrets that'd been revealed. "Wait until we know most of them are somewhere else."

"That'll take an insane amount of luck," Tuff sighed next to his sister. "Its not exactly easy to keep track of villains."

"Maybe our next member will have super tracking skills," Punzie said, looking at Astrid for support. "Like a dog."

"I don't think that's a logical gene mutation, Punz," Wiz absentmindedly muttered, still staring intently at the screen.

"Well, I hope they aren't dangerous. It'd be awful if the suits took them away." Hiccup looked at Punzie, but no one else seemed alarmed at her words.

"Um, could you explain that?" He finally asked when no one said anything. Of course it was Astrid who looked over at him.

"Every now and then someone has a power that is dangerous to themselves or people around them, so the suits keep them somewhere safe."

"Oh. Is that why you weren't nice to me when I first came here?"

The corners of Astrid's mouth twitched. "Yep. I didn't know if you'd blow up the building or turn us all to dust."

Hiccup gave a short laugh, thankful Astrid was in a good mood. However, he didn't even want to think about how unhealthy it was that she repeatedly shot down any opportunity to discuss her past. One day, even if it took him locking her in a room until she spilled, he knew he would find out what happened.

"You guys aren't going to believe this," Wiz said suddenly, as a message flashed on his screen. "But our new friend is almost here. Suits' car is leaving the highway now."

"That was quick." Completely unsure of how this was supposed to be handled, Hiccup watched the others. He remembered when he entered this home for the first time, confronted with the sight of the Guardians all in the super suits. "Are we supposed to put our suits on?"

"No," Ruff answered. "We were only in our suits when you showed up because we just got back from a job."

"But I think I want you to go lizard," Astrid said. "Snot isn't here and we don't know what this person could do."

"Go lizard?" Hiccup repeated. "Can't we call it something else? That sounds pretty dumb."

"Hiccup, go grow wings, scales and a tail please."

He pushed himself away from the table and shoved his hands in his pockets as he left the room. "You're no fun."

Astrid leaned against the back of the couch, absentmindedly picking at a fingernail, waiting for the sound of a descending elevator. Ruff was helping Punzie redo her braid on the other side of the room, while Tuff laid on the ground beside them. Astrid was pretty sure he'd fallen asleep.

They didn't seem as concerned as she was. They'd never been around for when things went wrong with a new member. Astrid had only seen it once, a few months after she arrived. The poor kid was a human bomb, a chemical reaction gone bad. He'd almost destroyed their home before he was taken somewhere safe.

She was pleased, at least, that the large dragon standing behind her sensed her uneasiness. Hiccup's scaly head was resting on the back of the couch beside her, occasionally letting out puffs of smoke and soft growls. Astrid had to really concentrate to not stare. Hiccup didn't take this form often and she hadn't gotten over how…beautiful it was.

Gently raising a hand, she let her fingers trail along his jaw as she watched the elevator. A low, rumbling escaped Hiccup's throat and Astrid looked over to see his eyes closed.

"Are you purring?" she laughed, continuing the motions with her hand. Hiccup snorted, opening one green eye to glare at her, but the rumbling didn't stop. "Punzie was right. You're just a big puppy."

Suddenly, Hiccup's head snapped up and both eyes shot wide open. Everyone in the room, including Astrid, jumped at the motion. There was steady vibrating sound from inside the wall and Astrid stood up straight, motioning for the others to come over.

"Okay guys. Show time."

Punzie skipped over quickly to stand next to Astrid, a complete opposite to Tuff dragging his feet and yawning. Hiccup quickly moved back, filling the rest of the room so the others could take a spot in front of him.

"I hope it's a dude," Tuff grumbled. "We've got too much estrogen in here."

Seeing the looks the girls shot to Tuff, Hiccup was prepared to break up a fight, but the elevator doors suddenly opened. The figure who stepped out the metal door wasn't what Hiccup had been expecting. He was preparing for someone scared, nervous, maybe even someone having a slight meltdown. God knows he'd been close to having a panic attack when his time came.

But this person was the exact opposite.

It was a man, looking around Snotlout and Hiccup's age, with jet black hair. He was shorter than Hiccup, but had much more beef on him. From under the sleeves of his t-shirt, a long blue tattoo traveled down his arm.

But it wasn't his appearance that had Hiccup stunned, it was his overall attitude. He didn't look amazed or frightened, or even like he cared at all. In fact, the new man looked smug. His smirk was wide and annoying, much like Snotlout's and he sauntered into the room, looking at the faces in front of him with a sort of eagerness.

For a second, his eyes landed on Hiccup. The look he gave him had Hiccup's lip pull back over his teeth and a low growl grew in the back of his throat. Astrid reached behind her, setting a hand on Hiccup's neck and he stopped growling. However, he didn't take his narrowed eyes off the stranger.

"Ugh man, you have no idea how happy I am you're a, well, a man." Tuff let out a happy sigh, while Ruff rolled her eyes. "Welcome aboard."

"Yes! Welcome!" Punzie did an odd little dance and reached out to grasp the man's hand. "I'm Canary-."

"And that's Evo and Battery," the man interrupted. His voice was slick like oil, reminding Hiccup of Lebeau, and he cringed at the sound. "There's the infamous Shadow and Night Fury, acting as the perfect body guard."

He gave another smirk up at Hiccup, who growled back.

"Um, yes," Astrid replied. "Frost and Tank-."

"Are out, but I don't know exactly where," he interrupted again. "But they should be back soon."

Astrid and Punzie shared a glance, but quickly looked back to the man. He didn't seem to care about their apprehension. Instead, he gripped his duffle bag tighter and swung it over his shoulder. "So, what happens now?"

"Well, we have to find out exactly what you can do," Astrid explained. "We're going to take you to a lab down the hallway to find out. I'm sure you have lots of-."

"Not really. I mean, the job is to save people right? Be the hero?"

"Well, yes, but-."

"Then I'm good."

Astrid glanced up at Hiccup as the group started towards the door and he caught her expression of surprise and confusion. After everyone had filed through, he quickly ducked under the wide doorway and squeezed into the hallway to take up the rear.

"Can't he turn back to a human?" the man asked Astrid as they walked. "I thought I saw him do that on the news"

"Yes, but he's staying like that in case something happens."

"Do I have to go in the lab if I already know what I can do?"

The group stopped their walking and Astrid faced the man wither her eyebrows raised. "You already know? Why didn't you-?"

"I just thought I would wait until you asked. I can hear people."

Punzie bit her lip nervously. "What do you mean 'hear people'?"

"Inside your heads. I can hear what you're immediately thinking. At least, if I focus on you I can. When I don't focus, it's just little whispers."

If their jaws could reach the floors, they would have. Astrid's panicked eyes met Hiccup's over the heads of everyone else for a split moment, before landing back on the stranger. "You can read our minds?"

"Not really. Just a main idea of whatever thought is running through your head. Except him." Everyone looked up at Hiccup as the man raised a finger to him. "I can't hear him."

"His head isn't fully human," Astrid explained.

Tuff laughed loudly, bending over and slapping the man on the back. "Dude! That's awesome! We're going to be great friends. What's your name anyways?"

"Dagur."

"I'm just saying, if you and Hiccup are allowed to, then I'm definitely going for it."

"No one is allowed to do that, not even me and Hiccup."

Snotlout rolled his eyes as they drove through the iron gates leading up the prison. It'd been a long night of driving and both boys were eager to have this ordeal over with.

"You can't lie to me ice boy," Snotlout argued. "Astrid and Hiccup are totally going at it and you're just lying if you say they aren't.

"But-."

"And don't even get me started on you and the kid. All I'm saying, is I'm going for it."

"You're going to get yourself electrocuted."

"Only if she says no."

They pulled up to the front, made sure their masks were on securely and stepped out of the car. Jack was anxious to drop the conversation and focus on questioning Jinx.

"When we get inside, let me do the talking."

"No way, man. I'm-."

"How about neither of you speak to her at all."

Jack and Snotlout froze in front of the entrance. Inside the doorway was a woman with an impeccably clean suit and auburn hair back in a tight bun. Several men were stationed just behind her, all wearing black suits.

Her smile grew, tight and rigid, as Jack and Snotlout eyed her nervously. "Oh dear, someone is in trouble."

From behind her, Cecelia Crowe withdrew a newspaper. Tossing it to Jack, both boys looked down and noticed the whole thing was in French. On the front page, there was a blurry picture of a large black shape, with wide wings, flying in the sky.

"Now, would one of you mind telling me what you're all up to?"

reviews please :)