Jack flopped onto his bed in exhaustion. It had only been yesterday Stoic had found out about their relationship. Since then the chief had found every excuse to keep the two of them separated. For Hiccup, that meant extra training for the next Games. Unluckily for Jack, that meant extra work with the dragon hatchlings for him.

There was a gentle knock on the door before it creaked open and a figure slipped in. "Hey cutie." Hiccup rushed to the bed, and the next few minutes was a flurry of discarded clothes and muffled cries. As they lay together, Hiccup smiled and tangled his fingers with Jack's. "Please tell me you've missed me as much as I've missed you."

"Of course I have." Jack smiled fondly. "And I've tried to make use of the few minutes I've been around your father. Unfortunately he doesn't want much to do with me anymore."

"Yeah. He's even more determined to see me married. I can hardly believe I was able to sneak in here. Usually it's guarded, and I can't get to you."

"My room is guarded? I didn't even notice!" He giggled. "And here I thought you were just avoiding my room."

"Really? The first chance I get, I'm in here and barely able to keep my hands off you. As if I would really be avoiding you."

"True. You couldn't even keep it in your pants for thirty seconds after seeing me," he teased.

Hiccup only smiled, rolling back on top of Jack and keeping him thoroughly preoccupied for the next few minutes. After he was left exhausted and breathless, Hiccup chuckled. "That's twice, and I've only been in here an hour."

Jack fought to catch his own breath, grinning. "A whole hour? You'd better get out of here before your dad finds you here."

"Oh no, I plan on staying with you all night. I hope you didn't have any other plans."

"And if I did?"

"Cancel."

"Done."

Hiccup laughed quietly and spent the rest of the night thoroughly exhausting and satisfying his love.

"Son, I am sure you are exaggerating." Stoic gave an annoyed sigh, looking up from his work at his son. "Astrid is not 'out to get, Jack.' I'm sure it was only an accident."

"It wasn't. For the past three days, she has been going out of her way to cause him trouble. If I am to marry her today, I want to know that she isn't planning on hurting the one I actually love."

"What you feel for that boy is not love. It is something a boy should not feel for another boy!" He slammed his fist on the table. "Why do you do this to me, Hiccup? I learned to accept your scrawniness, then your dragons, then your travelling. But this?"

"If Jack was a woman, he would be pregnant by now with my child, your grandchild. Do you understand what that means?"

Stoic scoffed at the idea. "You are to marry Astrid tonight and that is final."

"I love him. I've shared a bed with him, on multiple occasions. I will endure his resentment if it means we can run away together. I will do as you say, but I will not be parted from him. He is mine, and I am his."

"In this, you have no choice. I cannot allow it."

"Maybe it wasn't the dragons who killed Mom. Maybe it was you. Maybe you killed Mom with your hate."

"You take that back this instant!"

"I'll take it back when you allow me to be with the one I love." Hiccup strode from the room, slammin the door behind him.

Jack wandered the outskirts of Berk, his staff dragging behind him dejectedly. Today's the day. I guess I was wrong. There's no breaking through to Stoic after all. "And so the tide hits again…," he whispered, pausing to look across the crashing waves separating his seaside cliff paradise from Berk.

"And with the receding of the tide, all unfortunate creatures are dragged out to drown." Astrid appeared out of the darkness of the trees, smiling at Jack. She was dressed in her bridal outfit, beautiful in her own mix of strength and elegance. "I told you I would bury you if you stood in my way."

The prince jumped at her sudden appearance and turned. "Why does it matter? You're still getting what you want no matter what. I'm not the one to be wed tonight."

"You still stand in my way. I don't want him; I don't love him. I do want his love. It makes me happy when others fall in love with me, forsaking the ones they actually love." She smiled. "Did you really think you would have a happy ending?"

"I never thought it would actually happen, but I still hoped beyond hope. I assume you also take joy in crushing the hopes of the ones being forsaken."

"Of course. That's the other fun part. Walking away, leaving misery and heartbreak where once there was happiness and love." She smiled and flipped her hair nonchalantly. "He doesn't want you anymore. He told me so this morning. Stoic convinced him of how much he actually did want this wedding."

"You lie." His grip tightened on the wood. "You can fool everyone else in the village but not me. I trust Hiccup; he wouldn't do that to me."

"No?" She smiled and held out her arm, a glittering cuff shining against her skin. "Do you like it? His wedding present to me."

Jack fought to school his features, hiding his hurt near perfectly. He had great faith in Hiccup, but he couldn't explain this. That cuff had been more special to Jack before he'd even gifted it. Now it was priceless to him and hugging this horrible girl's arm. "It's beautiful."

"It was yours, correct? Hiccup told me about the 'wooing' gifts you gave him. You idiot. He said they were pathetic, fitting for a lying nobody. He thought it would look better on me anyway."

"Whatever you say, Astrid. Where's your man now? Getting ready for his wedding or training with his dragon so he can avoid you?"

"Neither. We're already married. I actually came from our wedding bed. Quite excitable, isn't he? Can't keep his hands to himself. I'm sure those hands could make anyone fall in love with him."

"You lie!" Jack swung his staff at her, finally snapping. "Hiccup wouldn't do that to me! He promised!"

Astrid side-stepped, tripping Jack and sending him crashing to the ground. "He kept saying how cute my nose is. How pathetic. I bet he says that to everyone."

Jack glared at her from where he lie. He fought back to his feet with his staff. "Keep talking all you want. There's no one here to believe you."

"I don't need anyone." Before Jack could react, Astrid reached out and sent a tangle of shadowy tentacles towards Jack, stealing his staff and bringing it to her. "I just need you." She laughed as she threw it into the sea, the wood giving a low whistle as it flew before disappearing beneath the dark waves.

"NO!" Every second was painfully clear in his mind. Fear was the first thing to hit him; without that staff he would lose his whole life on Berk. The second was the realization that he had lunged for it without thinking, a shove from Astrid sending him further than he thought. Thirdly was a new fear, not of falling off the cliff as most people would, but of knowing when he hit that water he would lose Hiccup. Fourth was shock when he landed on something smooth and solid instead of the icy water.

The teen hadn't realized it, but he'd been clenching his eyes since the top of the cliff, too afraid to face his fate. When he pried an eye open, Jack found himself staring into the sea green eyes of a scauldron.

A whistle rang out through the air, followed by a frightened cry of "Jack!" from the cliff's edge. The scauldron's head shot up at the sound and flew towards it, landing in front of Hiccup. He ran forward, pulling Jack into his arms. "Thank you, Odin! I thought...Jack, my love!"

Jack was desperately trying to wipe away his tears of relief. I can't cry. Can't get wet. "No no no no no." He tried to pull away, looking out to the sea. "My staff! I need it!" He sobbed against his lover. "It's gone…"

"We can make you a new one. Jack, why did you jump off a cliff? I came to find you, only to watch you...what? Try and kill yourself?"

"It's not the same! I need my staff. You don't understand. I have to have it!" He reached a hand out to the Scauldron, their eyes locking. "Please." As soon as he touched her he could feel that same connection he'd always had with marine life. Please. I'm begging you. Find it for me. The dragon seemed to nod before flying off and disappearing underneath the waves. Jack sagged against Hiccup in time for Stoic to come running up to them.

"Hiccup! Jack! Are you alright, my boy?!" Surprisingly he was looking at Jack instead of his own son with that look of worry. "I saw the whole thing."

"Does someone want to explain it to me?" Hiccup looked at Jack. "What is going on? And I don't want any garbage about secret clans. I want you to tell me the truth, all of it."

"I-it was…" Jack couldn't finish, still trying to desperately to soak away his tears before they ruined everything.

"It was Astrid." Stoic sighed. "I should have believed you, Hiccup. You tried to warn me she was after Jack but I didn't listen. It was far away, but it looked as though she pushed him off."

Hiccup shook his head and dried Jack's tears, his sleeve rolling up to reveal a small sliver of an arm cuff. "I want the whole truth, Jack. There's more to this story, and I want...I need...to understand."

"I can't…" He looked away from him, his voice small. "I'm sorry, Hiccup." Jack nearly started to cry again when his new dragon friend returned with a familiar staff in her mouth. His legs tangled in his rush to get to her, nearly tripping him. That surge of magic up his arm was all he needed before throwing his arms around her neck, staff in hand. "Thank you so much, Swiftide."

Hiccup looked at Jack beseechingly. "Please. Please. I need to understand. Let me know you."

Jack looked up from Swiftide's neck, his eyes begging. "You don't understand, Hiccup. If I tell you...everything's over. I'll have to leave forever. Please don't make me. I'm not ready to lose you," his voice cracked as he fell to his knees, staring down at this staff.

"You could never lose me, Jack. Don't you see? I told my Dad that if he wanted his son, he had to let me be with you." Hiccup brushed his fingers against Jack's cheek. "Who are you, Jack?"

He shook his head, unable to meet his eyes. "I want to tell you everything. I want you to know me so bad. But I...I can't. I made a deal with s-someone bad. If you find out who I am, who I truly am, the deal is broken. That deal is the only thing that allows me to be here, and that is all I can say to you." Jack's teeth clenched in pain, his tears dripping down his cheeks.

Stoic stepped forward to put a hand on both teen's shoulders. "I know I have not been great to you, Jack, since I found out about you and my son. But you have become like family to Berk and we protect our families here. Who is this monster that has hold over you?"

"It was that," he searched for the right word, "thing that attacked Jack. Dark, like a creature from the very depths of the sea. Astrid was there, and then it was this creature, and then they were both gone before we could reach it." Hiccup pulled Jack close and kissed the tears from his face. "It's alright, you're okay now. I have you."

Jack didn't understand how Hiccup could forgive him after all the secrets he'd kept. He burrowed against his lover for comfort. "Thank you…"

"Well, if it wasn't clear before, you do not have to marry Astrid. I cannot have someone like her running around and pushing people off cliffs."

"Then I may be with him?"

"I am not saying I approve, or even understand," Stoic grumbled. "But I feel I owe you, for forcing you with her, and Jack, for almost getting you killed by her." He watched Jack's exhaustion overtake, brown eyes closing sleepily.

"Then...I take back what I said. Before. I don't think you killed her."

"Thank you, son." He looked down at his son's lover fast asleep in his arms. Swiftide crept closer to try to smell him better, and he chuckled. "It has been an exhausting day for everyone."

"Yeah. I should get him back. He's been so tired lately." Hiccup looked to the scauldron. "Thank you for saving him. I don't want to think of what would have happened if you hadn't been there. So your name's Swiftide?" He patted her side when she nodded her head. "I need you to carry me. Will you do that, Swiftide?" The dragon nodded again and Hiccup helped move Jack to mount her back. "Dad...I really do love him. I love him the same way you love Mom."

"I am beginning to see that," the big man sighed. "But give me time. You have already given me so much change to adjust to in your life." Stoic smiled fondly at his son and ruffled his hair. "Go take care of him. I have a bride to find."

"Be careful, Dad. There's something wrong with her. I think she would have killed Jack if she had the chance."

"I will. And I'll be taking Gobber with me for back up." The chief turned and left, leaving Hiccup and Jack their two dragons.

"She tried to kill you, Jack. I want to know why," Hiccup whispered, mounting Swiftide behind his lover. "To my Dad's house." The dragon turned to look back at him confused. "Follow Toothless, okay?" Hiccup gave his dragon a signal. "Home, bud."

Jack groaned, stirring on his cot and putting I hand to his head. Why does my head hurt so much? And why are my eyes sore? He cracked an eye open to look around his room.

"Hey, you're awake." Hiccup sat on the edge of Jack's bed, taking his hand. "I was starting to get worried."

"Why would you be getting worried?" He let out an "oof" sound when something large nudged his side. Jack looked up to find a scauldron sticking its head through the open window and bumping him. "Swiftide? What are you doing here?" He sat up to reach her better. "You should be back home in your lovely cave."

"I think she's your dragon, love. She's stuck by you the same way Toothless sticks by me." Hiccup put a finger under Jack's chin and turned his head until their eyes met. "You slept all of yesterday. Jack...why did she want to hurt you? Why is that staff so important to you?"

"That explains the headache then," Jack mumbled. "I don't know why, Hiccup. I know she thought of me as a threat because of our love, but I never knew she'd take it so far."

"This wasn't jealousy, Jack. This was hatred. She wanted to really hurt you."

"I've never seen her before I came here."

"It's as if she knew you." Hiccup sighed and brought Jack's hand to his lips. "What did she say to you?"

"It's kind of a blur now...but all I remember is she just kept trying to make me jealous. She talked about you in such ways and then she showed me the cuff you gave her." He frowned.

"Cuff? I never gave her any cuff." Hiccup pulled up his sleeve, showing where the cuff remained on his arm. "I've never taken it off since you gave it to me."

"But-" Jack gaped at him. "I saw it myself! It looked exactly like this one down to the blue gem in the middle. How did she-?"

Hiccup smiled. "You really thought I gave it to her? Oh Jack, I love you too much to give such a present to someone like her."

"There was so much going on. I couldn't help but believe her when I saw it clear as day on her arm."

"Touch it, Jack."

Pale fingers ran over it lovingly. He blinked back a new wave of tears. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

"It's real." Hiccup covered Jack's hand with his. "I'm real. This is real. I'm not going anywhere so long as you love me."

"Thank you," Jack whispered before tucking his head under Hiccup's chin. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"As long as you're alright now." Hiccup ran soothing fingers through Jack's hair.

When night fell, Jack snuck from the house as he had every night to make his way down to the beach. "Tooth? You here?"

"Jack! I've been waiting forever! Everyone's so scared! Pitch came back, and he's being so terrible!"

"Pitch? But he's never bothered the city before. Why would he start now?" He kneeled in the surf so he could be closer to his friend.

"He's so angry, Jack! He said he killed you! He even had your bracelet!"

Something clicked in Jack's mind, replaying his fight with Astrid in his head. It'd been to quick to notice but now he vaguely remembered she had used shadows to attack him. "Don't believe a word he says. He tried to kill me but didn't succeed. He's been posing as a human in Berk trying to stir things up."

"Did he hurt your boyfriend and your dragon? I hope not!"

"He didn't. And my dragon is actually the reason I'm still okay. She saved me from falling into the ocean and revealing my secret." He pet her fondly.

"You need to tell him, Jack. He needs to know about Pitch."

His face fell. "If I tell him, my secret will be blown. I'll have to leave him."

"He'll protect you! He can fight Pitch and kill him!"

"He's strong, yes. But Pitch has untold magic on his side. He doesn't stand a chance."

"You have magic! Jack, he needs to know!"

"Jack? What are you doing here?"

Jack whirled around in surprise. "Hiccup?!"

"Hey." Hiccup smiled and looked down. "An orca calf! Wow, she's so pretty!"

"Don't let her hear you or she'll get a big head," he chuckled nervously, toes burying themselves in the sand. Jack stared out at the horizon on this moonlit night. He could smell the storm coming on the breeze, and his gut tightened in fear. Tooth was right. For some unknown reason Pitch was coming for him and he wanted him gone. Staying only put the village in danger.

Hiccup knelt down and stroked Tooth's head. He looked up at Jack and his smile slowly faded. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"I have no choice," he choked out. "I have doomed you and your home, and I have to fix it." Thunder boomed in the distant shadowed clouds.

"I'm coming with you."

"Where I'm going you can't follow." Jack turned to give the viking a lingering kiss. "Thank you for everything you have done for me, Hiccup. I've never known happiness like I did with you. I will fix my own mistakes. But I want you to know…" He cupped his lover's face. "I have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you on that boat," he whispered against his lips.

"Boat? Jack, I don't understand. Why can't I come with you? Where are you going? How long will you be gone?" Hiccup looked at him with wide eyes, on the verge of tears. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I don't know. I hope so." The prince took Hiccup's hand and carefully gave him the staff, closing his fingers over it. "I love you, Hiccup." Jack stepped away from him before he could lose his courage. I have to save Berk. He walked into the waves, feeling his body changing again. Jack fell beneath the surface when his legs were no longer holding him up.

Hiccup reached for him but stopped when he saw Jack's form. "You...you were the boy." He scrambled to grab Jack, pulling him into his arms. "I don't care who you are! I don't care about anything except the fact that we love each other! Don't leave me, Jack. Please." He rubbed his thumb across Jack's lower lip. "Please," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I can't do this without you."

"I have no choice, Hiccup," he cried. "He's attacking my home, and now he's coming for yours. He wants his payment and won't stop until he gets it. I have to stop him. I can't let him hurt you." Jack reluctantly tore himself away and backed further into the surf. The wind whipped his hair, now back to its original white. Thunder boomed around the island, the ocean churning in anticipation.

"Jack, please. Please, we can...we can fix this. I can...we...Jack, I love you. Take me with you! I would rather drown than spend one moment away from you."

"Forgive me." Jack summoned a wall of ice to line the beach, protecting Hiccup behind it and cutting him off from the ocean.

"Jack! No!"