To those who know about the writing of this chapter, you may be wondering why I'm posting it today. Truth is, I decided you all needed an update so I cut it in half. This is the first half.

Chapter Sixteen: Coming Back Around

Finn had always been an active boy. Ever since the day he took his first steps, he was running all over the village like he owned the place, getting into things and causing all sorts of mischief. This hadn't changed when he began to grow into his teenage years, except now he had an affinity for wrestling with the boys his age, hunting trips with Helga, and other sorts of activities that taxed him physically.

He loved it: pushing his limits to see how far he could go, feeling the muscles in his arms shake with strain, and feeling the sweat accumulate on his brow during hard work. Those were the times that he truly felt like a man, despite his obvious teenage features. Naturally, after every long and hard day, he'd crash in his bed, completely exhausted, ready the next morning to spring out of bed at the crack of dawn to begin a new day.

Never before had Finn experienced so much exhaustion. And never before had he come to the frank conclusion in his mind that he was most certainly not ready to spring out of bed and he was definitely not ready to begin a new day. The sun would have to rise without him today. Whatever day it was.

His mind felt foggy, his thoughts sluggish. His entire body felt heavy and weak like he'd had to carry a whole deer across the entire island by himself. It was a struggle to recall what he did last. He remembered hunting for deer with Helga and… fish? No, he had to fix a fishing net or something, right?

With a short exhale, Finn finally opened his eyes to find himself lying on his back in the Great Hall. A quick, concerned glance to his left revealed the Hall mostly empty beyond nearby tables and benches. Confusion stunned him as he again tried to remember the last thing that happened, when a big, warm hand rested on his forehead. Finn slightly jumped at the touch and turned his head to the right but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Hey buddy," Hiccup whispered with a soft smile. "It's okay, you're all right now."

Finn frowned. All right? He felt sluggish but he didn't feel terrible. What did he mean? "Waz…" The teenager started and cleared his throat, shocked at how thin and weak it sounded. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Hiccup adjusted his blankets carefully, so as to not disturb Astrid sleeping with her head in his lap. Finn took note of Benen sleeping against a few propped up pillows at the next pillar as his father replied. "You passed out; worked yourself too hard while you were sick."

"Oh…" Finn's brow furrowed. "Wait, but I wasn't sick."

"Mara thinks you worked so hard and didn't get a proper amount of rest that your immune system was working overtime. Basically, you crashed." Hiccup gave his son a stern eye for a moment. "I know I said to help your mother and the village, but I didn't mean work yourself to the bone."

"Dad, there was too much to do. I couldn't waste time."

Hiccup nodded. "I understand. A chief's work is never done. There's always going to be something to do, someone to help. But that doesn't mean you don't take time for yourself. Even if it means stepping outside for five minutes of fresh air – it's necessary."

"And that's why you take random flights with Toothless now and then."

"Yes," Hiccup affirmed, "It's our little bit of time to just relax and breathe without being badgered. It's practically medicinal."

Finn snorted and rubbed his angry throat with his fingertips. Hiccup returned a moment later with a small cup of water, which Finn drank gratefully. He wiped his lips with his sleeve before settling back into his pillow. "So…how long was I out then?"

"Oh…" Hiccup paused in thought. "About a day and a half… almost two."

"Two days?" Finn asked incredulously. "Gods, that explains why I feel so sluggish. I haven't done anything."

"You're sluggish because your body is trying to get rid of the sickness and catch up on rest," Hiccup replied in a careful voice. "Finn… buddy…"

Finn raised an eyebrow when his father stopped, a strange expression on his face. It wasn't sad and it wasn't happy, but almost a mix between the two. He felt like he was being scrutinized and weighed lick a sack of grain to be bought. "What?"

A corner of Hiccup's mouth lifted a bit. "I want you to listen to me carefully, okay? First off, I want to apologize that you had to work so hard-"

"Dad, I wanted to. I had to-" Finn argued.

"No, I know Finn." Hiccup held out a hand in a placating manner. "I'm not saying that it wasn't necessary. But you're only thirteen. That's a lot of responsibility for a young man to take on. But that leads to my second point," The Haddock patriarch smiled wide for a moment before continuing, "I am so, so proud of you, for everything that you did for our people. The father inside me cringes at the thought of you literally passing out in exhaustion from everything that you had to do, but he can't help but swell with pride at how hard you worked for your people. You saw what needed to be done and you didn't give up or stop. It's not easy for someone with little experience to handle something so stressful, let alone for that long. Words can't express how proud you made me this week, Finn. And I don't want you to ever forget it."

Finn stared at his father, speechless. He didn't know what to say or do in response. Finally, he opted to close his mouth and shrug with a timid, "Thanks, Dad."

Hiccup ruffled his son's hair playfully. "No, thank you. I heard several good things."

Finn smiled, turning his eyes to the sleeping forms of his mother and Benen. He turned a bit to see Toothless and Stormfly sleeping nearby. But in a sudden burst of curiosity, he asked, "Where's Anna?"

Hiccup's face fell instantly and Finn suddenly felt guilty, like he reopened a fresh wound. His father looked across the Great Hall with a deep sadness in his eyes that the teen hadn't seen in a long, long time.

"She's… she's not dead, is she?" Finn quietly asked and his father jerked.

"No! Ah…no. She's, uh…" Hiccup swallowed, playing with a strap on his leather jacket. "She's at home."

"What happened?" Finn asked through a yawn, genuinely curious to know.

Hiccup smiled weakly and shook his head. "Don't worry about it right now. Your mother and I will fill you in tomorrow when you're more awake."

Finn felt himself drooping and scowled through another yawn. "I don't wanna… ugh sleep more."

"Don't fight it. You'll be up and at 'em again in no time if you just let it happen." Hiccup brushed his son's bangs off his forehead gently as Finn closed his eyes.

"Love ya, Dad." Finn mumbled just before dropping off into a peaceful sleep.

With a thankful smile, the Haddock father whispered, "I love you too, buddy."

Hiccup rested his hand on Astrid's back gently and adjusted himself against Toothless to sit more comfortably. Thoughts of his daughter flooded his mind again and another wave of grief came over him. He shook his head and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was another day, and sometimes even the chief needs to rest.

Finn awoke the next morning feeling more rested than he had the night before. He stretched long and hard enough to emit an embarrassing squeak. He cleared his throat to cover it but still heard a soft chuckle beside him. He turned at the familiar sound and brightened instantly at Benen sitting beside him.

"Good morning, sunshine." Benen grinned widely, a rough palm already on the boy's forehead to check his temperature.

"Benen," Finn smiled, for some reason feeling a tad emotional. He could see the joy in his best friend's eyes at seeing him awake and talking, which spoke volumes. He must have been really sick if Benen was this overjoyed.

"You're looking much better than you were last night." Benen beamed. "I don't want to seem harsh, but don't you ever, ever do that gain, do you hear me?" Finn looked away sheepishly but couldn't fully cover the smile on his face. Benen shook his head. "Ah, come here, little man." Finn still felt weak as he carefully sat up, but hugged Benen tightly.

"Not so little anymore." Finn mumbled into his shoulder.

Benen swallowed thickly, willing himself to keep his composure. "You'll always be little to me."

Finn snorted and pulled back to look around when a wave of dizziness hits him. "Whoaaa..." The teenager put his head in his hands as the elderly man steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine."

"You are, but you're still weak. We need to get some proper food into you today. Why don't you lie back down and I'll get you some stew." Benen offered.

Finn opened his mouth to reply as he lay back down, but a swish of skirts from the other side of his mat interrupted him. "Well, look who's finally decided to wake up." Mara smiled down at him and handed a bowl of stew to Benen.

"Hi Mara," Finn greeted her sheepishly. Mara grinned at him knowingly and finally sighed, "All right, I admit it. I should've listened to you. You were right." Benen stifled a laugh with his hand at Mara's preening expression.

"And don't you forget it." Mara sat down beside him and checked his temperature with the back of her hand, then inspected his tongue. "You seem to be healing quite nicely. How are you feeling?"

Finn shrugged dismissively, "I'm okay. A little hungry, I guess."

"He did experience some dizziness after he sat up." Benen explained in a grandfatherly way. Finn stuck his tongue out at his friend and the old man cutely waved at him.

Mara snickered at their antics and replied, "Yes, dizziness is one of the after effects. You need to take it easy. I'm giving you permission to move around but very carefully and not far from your mat. The Hall is mostly clear of the ill now, so I may have you and Inga Jorgenson moved to my house. Just to keep you both close."

Finn and Benen nodded in agreement, though the teenager frowned a little. He wanted to go home, but deep down understood why it wasn't yet meant to be.

"Finn!"

Mara smiled knowingly and stood to give Astrid room to tackle her son. The blonde slid to the boy's mat and nearly yanked him out of the sheets in a tight hug, crushing his face into her shoulder so that he began to whine and moan.

"Mom… Mom, I can't breathe… kinda dizzy."

Mara tapped the mother's shoulder and sweetly remarked, "Astrid, remember what we talked about-"

"Zip it, doc, I'm bonding with my baby who almost died." Astrid snipped and both Finn and Benen guffawed in laughter.

Mara rolled her eyes and turned away. "Oh, what do I know? If he throws up all over you because you're handling him too much, then don't blame me."

"I changed this kid's diapers and worse, I can handle his puke too." Astrid announced, pulling Finn up to inspect his face and prying his mouth open with her fingers.

"Ach…" Finn remarked irritably. Benen snickered and the boy turned on him, still trying to pull away from his mother's probing fingers. "Shtap Begeng, dis ishn't fungy– gah Mom! Fingers out of mouth, that's disgusting! Ach and then the sloppy, wet… UGH KISSES. MAKE IT STOP!"

Benen laughed heartily now at the scene, Astrid planting kisses all over Finn's disgruntled face. Finn yanked and twisted as far away from her as he could, but only became more twisted in the sheets. Astrid landed one more kiss on her son's forehead before hugging him again.

"Don't you ever, ever do that to me again! Do you hear me? EVER."

"Yes Mom, because I totally did that on purpose."

"In a way, you did!"

"I'm keeping you on your toes."

"You're giving me gray hair."

"Mom, I've told you this before- you'd still be beautiful."

Benen snorted, "Lay on the sugar."

"Pipe down, you." Finn poked the old man with a finger.

Astrid hugged her son one last time, pulling him tight to her chest. "I thought I was going to lose you. I was so scared."

Finn sighed softly and embraced her warmly. "I'm not going anywhere, Mom." He then smirked mischievously. "I've got so much work to do if I'm going to drive you and Dad crazy one day."

"Ha ha ha, you are so funny, Finn." Astrid pinched his cheek. She laughed suddenly and pinched both of his cheeks, stretching them outwards to show his teeth. "HA! Benen, look!"

Benen leaned over and raise and eyebrow, confused at the scene until he took note of Finn's unamused expression in the boy's eyes. The old man laughed and shook his head at Astrid. "What on earth are you doing to the poor boy? Hasn't he had enough?"

"Hiccup and I used to do this when he was a baby. It's still cute with his pudgy wittle cheeks-"

Finn finally snapped his head back, "Mom, seriously. This poor boy has handled quite enough this week."

"Fine, fine, fine."

Finn scrubbed his face with his hands for a moment before grimacing. "Ugh, I need a bath."

Astrid's eyebrows shot up. "What? My little Finn admitting that he needs a bath too? What is this world coming to?"

"Hehehe…" Finn gave her a false smile. "Hilarious. Anyway, where's Dad?"

"Ah, he was helping some families move back into their homes earlier." Benen replied, his eyes milling the Hall. "He didn't sleep much last night so I know he got up early."

Finn tisked his tongue and shook his head. "That's a terrible habit to get into. Someone should talk to him about that."

Astrid snorted and began folding a few blankets. "How about you tell him yourself? You take a little walk around the Hall with your stew and I'll go find him."

"Nah, it's okay. I'll see him later. I don't want to badger him-"

"It's not a problem." Astrid insisted and stood. Finn raised an eyebrow as she planted one last kiss on his head before turning toward the doors. "Don't stray too far from your mat. And eat all your stew. And listen to Benen-"

"Mom, I'll be fine."

"Famous last words, Fearless Finn."

Benen chuckled when the teen stuck out his tongue. "You keep doing that, it's going to get so long you will be able to touch your nose."

"Good. It'll be less work to pick my nose that way."

Benen grimaced. "That's disgusting."

Finn snickered and pulled himself onto his knees. "I'm just kidding. Wow, I will never take the ability to stand up straight for granted again." Benen stood and helped the boy onto his feet. Finn frowned when the room tilted to the right and he could feel a slight pressure behind his eyes. He quickly discovered that shaking his head only made the dizziness worse, so he opted to carefully walk to the nearest bench instead.

"How do you feel now?" Benen asked.

Finn shrugged and accepted the bowl of stew his old friend offered. "Everything's tilting to the right… and kind of downwards? It's weird. It's not intense but I… I don't know. It feels like I spun in a circle for a few seconds and then stopped. Everything's spinning, but not intensely."

Benen nodded. "Best be careful then and don't eat that too fast."

"Mhm." Finn shoved his spoon in his mouth heaped with potatoes and venison. He hummed and pulled the bowl closer to his chest as if it were treasure. "Odin bless the hands that hunted this game and created this masterpiece."

Benen chuckled and patted the boy's back. "That would be you. That's the buck you shot down while you and Helga were out hunting."

Finn rolled his eyes and grinned. "Ahh yes. Then Odin bless me."

Benen ruffled his hair with an affectionate smile. "He already has."

I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. It was supposed to be pretty long but there have been way too many obstacles. We're hoping to have it done by 2015. However, this is really difficult because both EmmerzK and I are very busy what with Christmas approaching. I suppose it kind of evens out the story because Chapter 5 was over 10,000 words, which is well above the average word count.

Speaking of which, if you're the praying sort, please pray for me. I was laid off today. I don't have another job lined up. if I don't get one soon, I'm pretty much screwed since I'm living on my own.

I thought it only fair to warn you that Chapter 18 will be kind of intense and possibly triggering. I've spoken about an emotionally distressing Chapter 17 on tumblr and to a few people but since I cut this chapter in half, I'm pushing that event back. There will be a guest writer doing that one since there have been some issues with EmmerzK's schedule and she's promised to go easier on you than she does her own readers. However, I would take this promise with a grain of salt because she once told me if she was writing Stowaway, she would have killed Finn off before Hiccup found him and then have Hiccup feel horrible about it for the rest of his life. So take that for what it's worth.

Special thanks to Fritz96 for transcribing a bunch of this chapter even though we got into an argument and I was pretty sure she wouldn't want to do it after that. I really appreciate it.

Don't forget to review!

~KateMarie999