I took me forever to post Chapter Four, but after I did I thought it a crime to wait to make you wait too long for #5… so you're welcome :P

Hiccup walked alongside his girlfriend, quite impressed with her mad gesticulations and how she sped into her words when she got to the important parts. Astrid was completely irate over her argument with Ruffnut which had ended with them storming away from each other and going their separate ways in a hurry. And as she explained it, she was a cyclone of emotions and knit eyebrows and long drawn out groans of exasperation.

But Hiccup chuckled to himself because as much as she was willing to act as though she was livid and frustrated and tragically misunderstood, she wouldn't be compelled to act so rattled if she wasn't hurt. Hiccup was good at spotting vulnerability, so maybe he was the only one who'd noticed. Or perhaps he'd just known Astrid far too long to believe her capable of true resentment; or maybe his perception of it was all based on the fact that she looked cute when she was angry. The latter probably had the most to do with it.

Regardless, Hiccup knew she just needed someone to listen to her fume before she really admitted what was wrong. That much he'd learned the hard way. You didn't expose Astrid's faults; you admired them from afar.

So as she ranted, he thought. This had something to do with Splint, he was sure of it. If it had anything to do with Ruffnut, it had something to do with Splint.

Hiccup didn't know Splint that well; but who did? But it was quite evident that Splint liked two things: women, and getting his way. It was unclear as to which he enjoyed more, but it was a well-known fact that Splint gets his way with women. So he could see where Astrid was concerned. But what he just couldn't understand is why Ruffnut Thorston, by Odin, would ever let herself be taken advantage of?

I suppose we all have our weaknesses in love… he thought, looking to the sky. Hel, it was clear to everyone that if there was one thing that could bring him to his knees it was Astrid Hofferson. He was crazy for her. And that phrase could be taken anyway you liked it; but perhaps in Ruffnut's case it could be taken literally.

But Splint didn't get his way, he pondered, because she ended it… didn't she?

Astrid's urgent cursing was being to quell and he shook his thoughts away from his own wonderings to focus on her. He didn't want to be accused of being too dense to hear her out.

"I'm just afraid she's going to make a huge mistake. And she's already done that by letting him ruin her the way he has, you know?" she said.

"Now, Astrid, saying she's 'ruined' isn't exactly-"

"Well what do you call it? Since the moment she started fooling around with him, she hasn't been the same person at all! I don't know who she is anymore! It's like if she isn't happy because of Splint and what she's been through, then no one is allowed to be. I don't deserve that, Hiccup. But neither does she. And I-I…"

Hiccup tried to keep a smile from escaping. "Astrid, just say it. Say 'I don't know what to do'."

She bit her lip. "Well I don't! I shouldn't care… but I do."

Hiccup shrugged. "It's good that you care. That's what friends do. Good ones, anyway. And I may not know exactly what she said, or what is going on between her and Splint; but I do know this. You did everything you could; if she doesn't want help then you can't help her. Maybe something will happen for her to realize her mistake… or maybe she'll have to learn from a new one. Point being, there's nothing you can do besides hope that at least she'll realize on her own what she's doing and she can move on and be better for it."

"Alright…." She conceded, leaning into him.

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer.

"I think you're a good friend Astrid." He said.

Astrid siphoned her breath for a moment, and then Hiccup felt her smile.

"You think too much." She said.

"You talk too much." He replied, grinning.

Hiccup enjoyed the silence that followed. Because when there was just him and Astrid and the night sky, it didn't matter about anything else, because he just felt lucky.

He peered ahead of them, just making out Fishlegs fretting ahead of them at the next corner. He'd left soon after Astrid had come back, presumably to go feed Meatlug. Maybe the Gronckle had wandered off again; it was prone to do that.

And then again, he remembered Fishlegs always having somewhat of a nervous nature. When everything went as planned he was perfectly calm; for he was a very routine person. And the way things had been going these past few years Hiccup figured he'd either outgrown himself or things just went smooth for him. So to see him looking so worrisome was out of place for now. It was definitely out of place for late at night out in the street.

"Hey, 'Legs!" he called out, startling the large Viking. He seemed to panic for a minute until he saw Hiccup approaching. Maybe Hiccup wasn't his best friend, but lately he'd been the person he confided in the most. The future chief was just easy to talk to.

He turned to meet him as they drew near and stood knocking his fists together like he was struggling to remember something.

"Where you headed? Meatlug run off on you again?" Hiccup inquired with that oblivious grin of his, Astrid under his arm, yawning.

Fishlegs bit the inside of his lip. "Nope, no, uh, I was just… thinking that I-forgot! To tell you something." He stuttered.

Hiccup shook his head with a grin. "Okay then."

Fishlegs smiled for effect and coughed into his hand.

Astrid raised her brows, and slid out from under Hiccup's arm over her shoulders. "I'll give you guys space; don't worry." She said.

Hiccup shook his head. "Wait what? No, I'll walk you home."

Astrid shrugged. "No need. You guys need to talk, obviously."

She stood on her toes to give Hiccup a peck on his freckled cheek, and jogged off, turning to wink at him.

Hiccup threw his hands up, flushing.

Fishlegs looked to the ground. "Sorry about that."

Hiccup waved it off. "It's fine. That's Astrid for you, anyway."

"Yeah. That's Astrid, I guess. I guess you know her better than anybody."

Hiccup shrugged with a bleary sigh. "I try to."

Fishlegs bit his lip and they began walking.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" his friend asked, kicking a stone with his good foot; the only one left anyway.

Fishlegs romped forward, sighing.

"You remember before I left, when we were talking about Ruffnut? And it looked like her and Astrid were having some sort of, um, fight?"

"It was only about an hour ago. Sure I remember. Astrid was telling me about it on the way here."

"Well… it got me thinking. I don't like what's going on. What were they arguing about anyway?"

Hiccup pursed his lips, looking up at Fishlegs. Hiccup had managed nearly a foot since he lost his leg, but even when he was almost Tuffnut's height and Astrid was shorter than him by a few inches, Fishlegs towered over him. He was a massive mound of fidgeting muscle, and he had a thick blonde beard that had grown down to his chest. It was said of first impressions that they are almost always inaccurate; and Fishlegs was a prime example. For so large a fellow, he was absolutely harmless.

Hiccup kicked the stone again, beginning to explain the argument between Ruffnut and his girlfriend.

Fishlegs listened intently as he talked about how Ruffnut had accused her friend of never having enough time for her; how she said Astrid wasn't doing a good job comforting her after what she'd been through.

"Because of Splint." Fishlegs interjected, his fists clenching.

Hiccup nodded, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, because of Splint..." he said. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

Fishlegs stopped walking. "Yes. That's it. Thanks."

Hiccup felt himself cock his head just slightly like Toothless did whenever someone's behavior perplexed him. And Fishleg's behavior was very confusing. He'd never been this interested in Ruffnut before, or if he had he'd kept it to himself. He had noticed throughout the past few months how he tensed whenever Splint was mentioned. There was something more to this that Hiccup wasn't picking up on, and he wanted to know what it was that was making his friend so troubled.

"You okay?" he felt himself asking.

Fishlegs opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, looking out across the water on either side of the wooden walkway.

"I don't like what's happening. To Ruffnut, I mean."

"But… You're alright?" Hiccup asked, searching his friend's face for some discrepancy.

"One-hundred percent." He replied, with a half-hearted smile.

Hiccup wasn't so sure; but they parted at the next corner as Hiccup started to ascend towards the cottage on the hilltop and Fishlegs loped over to the stables.

Fishlegs was glad Hiccup wasn't the type to ask too many questions. He was even surprised with himself for being so forward. The fact of the matter was Fishlegs had grown first-rate at observing things. The only time his thoughts got expressed was whenever he felt compelled to write something down. Oh, it was well known that once upon a time, Fishlegs was quick to mention anything on his mind, making him a rather awkward youth. But the pain-staking realization that no one really listened to him had silenced him in nature. Fishlegs still felt the same way about just about everything; but it wasn't often he ever said anything about it.

So it astonished even him when he was willing to be so honest about where he stood with what was happening to Ruffnut. It indicated that he cared quite a lot about her; which was something within himself that he was only just beginning to discover.

But despite being convinced that she was being victimized in some way, he still couldn't help being frustrated with her, and how she was overlooking him. How everyone was overlooking him.

Without apprehending it, he began to pace; back and forth, back and forth, propelled by passionate, intense thought. Fishlegs couldn't remember the last time something had made him pace. He actually couldn't remember ever having paced over something in his life.

He felt his thoughts spinning and spinning through his mind, but there was one person in particular running through his thoughts like a hurricane: Ruffnut Thorston.

He would kill for her, he was frustrated by her, and he was bewildered with his own mind-set. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before; no one had ever made him feel this way.

Even though Fishlegs would never have guessed it… the fact was simple.

Fishlegs was already in love with her, and he didn't even know it.

Ruffnut sat quivering in the cold, damp wind that characterized the last real days of summer. The summer for her had been high and low; steady and hectic.

I'm alone… she thought; and then she laughed, despite herself.

Ruffnut Thorston; alone! The feeling was quite new for a twin, or a girl who'd at least known more than one good friend in her adolescent life.

But with every wavelength of her body, mind, soul… she couldn't shake the feeling that all around her was nothing, emptiness, despair.

And with every drop of sarcasm left in her self-deprecating head, she cursed herself.

What the Hel do you plan to do about it genius?

She slumped and sagged against the jagged stone steps. Loneliness was completely foreign to her; and it made her tired.

Tired of being alone, tired of being misunderstood, tired of herself for not doing anything about it.

Ruffnut was alone, and tired.

And frustrated.

Ruffnut had been angry before. Living with the likes of Tuffnut Thorston is enough to make the most amiable person angry at least three times a day. Svenvella was the most amiable person, and that undoubtedly happened to her. But while Ruffnut could always think of an excuse to be mad at her brother for the moment, it never meant much to her and no one could honestly accuse her of being a short-fuse.

Too bad then, that Ruffnut was so frustrated. Not with her brother, or with Splint, or even, honestly with Astrid, despite their confrontation; no, Ruffnut was dangerously mad at herself.

To think that the one good thing she'd done by herself after meeting Splint was trying to rid herself of him, and it was like being thrown in a cold dark room, with only a small hole in the wall; so she could peer out of it and see all the wonderful things that seemed to be happening to everyone else.

She wanted to scream at fate; it was the only thing at this point she didn't feel rotten accusing. But fate was too fond of laughing at her.

And as much as she hated it, she was addicted to Splint. And being without him was like a bitter, shaky withdrawal.

She'd convinced herself that she needed himfor so long, that now she couldn't be herself without him. She couldn't be herself with him either, and she couldn't pick between the two poisons.

You're going to have to do something… she thought to herself resentfully.

And at that point she steered her pitiful rage into finding a solution; and an outcome would undoubtedly not be a good one.

Wiping her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest in defense from the icy wind, she made up her mind that it had to better to be taken advantage of in the tainted name of love than be miserable and alone.

At least if I found Splint I wouldn't be so damned cold… she thought bitterly, sniffling. She stood up abruptly, taking a quick few steps down the stairs, but then pausing; like her body was trying to remember to warn her of regret.

But she shook it away and continued in a hurry down the stone steps; fleeing from her better judgment into the arms of false security; as if she might wait too long to make a hasty decision.

She stumbled down, away from the Mead Hall and to find Splint, wherever he might be.

I suppose you could blame it on an ill-repaired heart and the adrenaline of a love-sick teenager; but it was the part of her heart that didn't seem to be functioning very well that was the part where her sense was buried, hidden behind a barrier of pride and hormones.

And Ruffnut was running away from it as fast as her feet could carry her.

Cliffhanger! Sort of… I told you pretty much what she was deciding to do.

Tossed in some Hicrid fluff there in the beginning. Their dynamics are just too cute not to write about jus' a lil' bit ;)

So it appears we've reached a climax. I would really REALLY like some reviews on this chapter particularly because of some of the plot movements.

I hope the characters are believable mainly. I took a real dive into some of them in this chapter. Probably because at this point everyone is all hot and bothered… ha.. innuendo. Foreshadowing innuendo at that…

But I've said too much already! ;)

I hope you don't think I'm a sap with all my metaphors there towards the end.

REVIEWS! :D (plz )