Author's Note: Well, this is it. The very end. Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, favorited and reviewed this story. As cheesy as it might sound, every one of those things has helped me. There were times when I loved this story and other times that I hated it. But in the end, I think I've truly grown as a writer. Maybe not much, but it's something. This story helped me find and create my writing style. So thank you.

I debated whether or not this story needed an epilogue, but it truly deserves one.

5 years later

Astrid returned the last plate to the cupboard and dried her soapy hands on a dish towel, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Laughter floated in through the open window along with the faint but sweet summer breeze, a song she would always love, even when it played no more.

Astrid brushed a stray lock of blonde hair from her face as she crossed the kitchen and walked out onto the porch, her eyes scanning the orange sky. Her arms hugged her sides as she rocked back on her heels, taking in the sight.

The sun dipped low behind the trees, so low that it dared her to run and reach as high as she could, to steal some of its warm light. Stars had just begun to dot the sky, their light faint at first but growing brighter as the orange clouds faded into a hazy twilight. It was a scene she never would have imagined seeing outside of a greeting card. But ever since they had moved out of their apartment in the city, she had grown more and more used to seeing it on a nightly basis.

A shriek of laughter pierced the air, begging for Astrid's attention. She smiled as she sat down on the steps and pulled her knees to her chest, watching as Hiccup chased Valerie around the yard, her purple skirt flying out behind her. She squealed when he finally caught her, pulling her into his chest as they rolled across the grass.

"Hey, be careful. That one's one of a kind," Astrid called.

Hiccup rolled his eyes playfully as he stood, hefting Valerie onto his hip. "Alright, alright. But only because tomorrow is going to be a long day and someone needs to get to bed," he said.

Valerie giggled and pressed her face against her father's sleeve as he carried her across the yard. When she saw her mother's smiling face out of the corner of her eye, she wriggled and knotted her hands in his shirt until he set her down. Hiccup watched as she raced inside, Astrid following.

He stepped into the kitchen, pulling the door shut behind him. He could hear Astrid and Valerie upstairs, Valerie's soft footfalls racing over his head as Astrid's voice floated through the ceiling. He braced himself against the counter, content to just listen. It was Astrid's turn to come up with a bedtime story anyhow, although Val had been trying to convince them for the last week that she didn't need them to tuck her into bed anymore; that she could take care of herself.

And oh, how he hated hearing those words.

Astrid had taken it with a grain of salt and somehow gotten Val to agree that she could get herself ready in the morning, all by herself, if she allowed her parents to tuck her in at night. And so far it had worked out just fine.

But who knew how long it would be until she stopped wanting them around all together? Because times were changing so quickly, and it didn't look like they would be slowing down any time soon.

Six years ago, it had been just Astrid and he, living in a cramped St. Louis apartment, working all day to come home and sit in silence. Back then he had grown accustomed to change and took it with a grain of salt. Now, he wanted to hold on tight and never let go. Where had the days and years vanished to?

"Hey, is everything alright?"

Hiccup pulled his eyes away from the window and found Astrid standing at the foot of the stairs, her lips pursed in thought. She had pulled her long hair into a ponytail, which caressed her shoulders as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," he said. He let go of the counter, feeling blood rush back into his fingers as he did so. How had he been gripping the edge of the counter so tightly without noticing?

"Well, you sure don't look fine. What's going on?" Astrid asked, her voice taking on a gentler tone.

Hiccup shook his head and flashed a smile at her. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it," he insisted.

He could see her eyes clouding over now, hiding her emotions from view. Her arms folded across her chest as she crossed the kitchen to where he stood by the door. "You know that never works," she said. And she was right; it never worked in the slightest.

Hiccup breathed a sigh and leaned against the counter once more. "It's just...she doesn't need us anymore, Astrid. She won't even let us tuck her in at night."

A small smile crossed Astrid's face. "She does need us, you especially. When I was upstairs, do you know what she told me?" she asked.

Hiccup shook his head.

"She told me that she wanted you to tell her a story tonight, because my stories aren't as interesting. She's never said anything like that about me, Hiccup."

"She's just used to me being around more than usual since you started working again," Hiccup objected. He forced himself to look elsewhere; he couldn't look into her eyes and see the way she wilted with his words. God, why was this so difficult?

"It's been two years since I started working again. I've had plenty of time to bond with her. She's just growing up is all," Astrid said. "She's figuring out who she is."

"Well maybe I don't want her to grow up. Because someday, she's going to stop needing us for good, and she'll stop coming home, just like I did when my parents divorced," Hiccup said. He could feel his stomach churning as he spoke. He didn't want to believe his own words.

"And she'll come back," Astrid said.

"But what if she doesn't? I know I didn't want to stick around my dad when I had the opportunity to leave."

Astrid wrapped her arms around Hiccup's waist and rested her chin in the crook of his shoulder. "She'll come back for her superhero. Who else will teach her how to fix a flat tire, or help her build her first computer, or show her that words are stronger than actions?"

"Are you saying you aren't capable of all that?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid rolled her eyes and stole a quick kiss before pushing him towards the stairs. "Go on. She still needs to hear that story."

He smiled to himself as he jogged up the stairs. Val's blue nightlight lit up the hallway, showering the walls and carpet with glowing stars and crescent moons. She was half asleep when he stepped into her room, her purple blanket pulled around her like a cocoon. Toothless had been watching intently as the lone goldfish in the aquarium on the dresser wound between the colorful plastic plants. The perfect watchcat.

Toothless emitted a low purr as Hiccup bent down to scratch the silky fur behind his ears, but didn't dare move from his spot next to the aquarium.

"Dad?"

Hiccup stepped away from the dresser, his head swivelling in the direction of the small voice. He could almost hear Toothless grumble and raise the fur at the base of his tail angrily at the thought of being ignored.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to tell me a story?" Val asked as she propped herself up on one of the many stuffed animals on the bed. She hugged the blue dragon's neck, her cheek pressed against its side.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, humming in thought. Val crawled closer, clutching the stuffed blue dragon as she waited for him to begin the story. "Alright," he said after a moment, smiling down at her.

"Once upon a time, there was a little bird that had never seen the sky…"

~Finish~