Oh. My. Goodness.

Guys, I have to say first off that I'm ETERNALLY sorry for taking so long with this chapter! I've been trying my hardest to get back into the groove of things and be more reliable. But, as is typical of life, stuff happened. I started to get a cold last week so I was feeling out of it, but then my boyfriend dumped me on Sunday night with next to reason. And then the emotional trauma from that made my cold go into a full-fledged virus that only steroids from the doctor has been able to help. Sooo yeah, it's been a wonderful week. :/

On the bright side, it is absolutely fantabulous to be on the opposite end of things! I'm writing an AN to all of our amazing readers! *hugs and kisses to all* Okay, maybe not kisses. Germs. Thank you to all who've messaged both Katie and me with questions and comments. We love conversing about our stories—your questions are never a burden so please, don't hesitate to shoot us a message! :)

Now, this chapter is a whirlwind of activity. I'm excited to finally send it out! We gots drama, we gots some fluff, we gots some angst in there, and some loverly new characters that I'm sure you're going to love as much as we do.

Anyway, you've waited long enough. I'll stop rambling. Enjoy! :)

~EmmerzK

Chapter Three: False Smiles

There was nothing like acquiring a new job. The idea of working hard and building his muscles to the point of exhaustion had always been one of his favorite things. While most people loathed the idea of hard manual labor, Finn knew he was literally built to be a hard worker.

The boy surveyed the damaged barn with distaste before stepping inside, stepping over a board and staring at a gaping hole in the ceiling. Something felt off about this barn in particular, but he couldn't recall what it could be… until he heard the splintering of wood coming from the boards above him.

Finn stood entranced as cracks formed and the foundations of the building shook. He couldn't move no matter how hard he tried; his feet were glued to the ground. The barn's foundations trembled and heaved before finally, the roof caved in. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact.

"FINN!" A pair of hands shoved him from behind and he pitched forward into the snow. He landed hard on his belly and came up gasping. The boy whipped around and froze, staring in horror at the pile of rubble burying his best friend.

"No." Finn scrambled forward and began shoving planks off of the pile. "No, no, no… Benen! BENEN!" Silence beneath the rubble. "No, no, please! Somebody, help! Benen's trapped! HELP!" Nobody came. The teenager shoved and hauled, screamed and kicked for what seemed like hours until he finally managed to pull his elderly friend's body out of the rubble.

"Benen!" Finn cried, tears forming in his eyes. Blood poured from the stomach wound where Benen had been impaled, the dark red liquid seeping into Finn's pants and staining the snow beneath them. "Benen… Please Benen, don't leave me!"

The old man was barely breathing, staring up at Finn with calm blue eyes. Slowly he lifted a finger and pointed to Finn's chest. "Fortis."

Fearless Finn awoke with a wild gasp, nearly ramming his forehead into his bedside table. He sat up quickly, throwing aside his blankets and shakily checking his hands and searching for anything out of the ordinary. His eyes only met his clean bedroom, a pile of laundry on the floor across the room, and a quick check at his neck to find his necklace-

Finn froze, checking his neck a second time. His necklace, the last gift he'd ever gotten from Benen, was gone.

Panic. Terror. Chaos. What was once a clean bedroom quickly turned into a replica of the Arena on a really bad day. Finn tore his bed and sheets apart, coming up shorthanded. He was near ready to start truly panicking when he shoved his bed away from the wall and nearly cried with relief: the necklace was lying on the floor just beneath where his head rested on his bed.

With trembling hands, Finn reattached his necklace and held it tightly in his fist. He sat against the wall and willed himself to calm down. As if having a nightmare… the nightmare… wasn't bad enough, some spawn of Loki's minions had to allow for his precious necklace to be lost in the same night. Figures; the gods really must hate him.

Finn wiped off his clammy forehead and shivered. He hadn't had that nightmare in a long time. He didn't know what the trigger was, but every few months it would happen—the same nightmare every time, but different variations. At first, the nightmare was exactly how it had happened. But as time wore on, he could almost forget what the real version was. His imagination had run wild over the last year and a half. The one time he'd woken up thinking he had blood on his hands was the last straw.

Keeping these things to himself, he'd go to work day in and day out like a real man should. Some mornings he'd get to work before Gobber; other days before the sun itself. One time he'd actually run into his father out on patrol before dawn. That had been awkward.

Finn snorted as he stood. "Guess we have one thing in common. We're both workaholics."

His door opened suddenly and he raised his eyebrow at his mother stepping inside. "Did you say…" Astrid trailed off, staring at his chaotic bedroom. "Something?"

"Yes- ahh no. Just… talking to myself." Finn scratched his neck.

"You keep doing that and people are going to think you're crazy," Astrid smiled knowingly. "What happened in here?"

Finn shoved his bed back into the corner and straightened the bedside table. "Necklace fell under the bed."

"Ah."

A feeling of gratefulness filled Finn's chest and he gave her an honest smile. He absolutely loved how he could explain himself in one simple phrase and she wouldn't press for details. Unlike someone else he knew…

"Well, I've got pancakes, bacon and eggs downstairs when you're ready."

"That's a lot." Finn commented as he remade his bed. "What's the occasion?"

Astrid rested a hand on her hip. "Is a mother in need of an occasion to dote on her son?" Giggling at Finn's grin, she left the room and disappeared down the stairs. Finn quickly changed clothes and tromped down the stairs after her, quickly forgetting his nightmare and horrible morning wake-up call.

His grin melted off his face when he saw that he wouldn't be having a quiet breakfast alone with mom today. Adrianna was sitting on the couch beside Brandyn, who seemed to be making himself quite at home. Both of them had plates of food resting on their knees as they talked, Brandyn's holding twice the amount as his sister. She had a delicate amount of food, probably because she thought she was sooooo fat.

Sitting at the head of the table sat his father, the official bane of his existence. If his mom hadn't made such a breakfast worthy of Stoick the Vast, then he might skip out and go to the Great Hall. But alas, he'd put up with his father for one meal if it meant keeping that smile on his mom's face.

Ignoring the love birds on the other side of the room and his father's green gaze from behind him, Finn heaped his plate high and sat down at the farthest corner away from his dad. He watched his mother pile her plate high and frowned at his eggs when she sat beside Hiccup, taking his hand and having one of those telepathic conversations. Finn spared a short glance at his father and was a little surprised at how tired he looked—but he shoved another heaping of pancakes and bacon into his mouth and forced himself not to care.

"Finn, Gobber said you don't need to go into work until noon."

Finn frowned at his fork. "Why?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Not as much work to do I guess."

"There's always work to do."

"Tell me about it."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Not what I meant."

"Someday you'll long for the days when you didn't have to work so much. I know I do." His father rubbed his eyes with his fingers. Astrid gently held his hand when it plopped back onto the table.

Finn opened his mouth to retort when the door opened and Snotlout Jorgenson popped his head in. "Chief," By the look of his face, he didn't look happy. "You might want to see this."

Hiccup groaned low in his throat before standing and grabbing his jacket. "Not even eight in the morning-"

"I know, we agreed not to bug you today but it can't be helped." Snotlout muttered impatiently.

Brandyn twisted in his seat. "Need any help?"

Snotlout scowled. "Pipe down, newbie. We don't need your help." Finn almost snorted at how Brandyn quickly deflated. He did, however, roll his eyes at his sister's pitying expression. Poor baby, how could the big mean Jorgenson speak to you so rudely?

His father kissed his mom on the cheek before following Snotlout out the door. The remaining people in the house heard him call for Toothless just as the door closed. Astrid sighed quietly and rubbed her forehead while Adrianna and Brandyn sat quietly in the living room.

Finn noisily scraped his fork across his plate, making the three jump simultaneously. "Well, that was interesting."

"Was it?" Astrid asked.

Finn stood, carrying his plate to the wash basin. "Jorgenson seemed a little flustered."

"That's Mr. Jorgenson to you, and he's always a little flustered." Astrid retorted.

Brandyn again turned in his seat to face them. "Why?"

"He's a Jorgenson." Finn remarked flatly. "All the Jorgensons are moody."

"As opposed to Haddocks?" Adrianna mumbled.

Astrid's eyes narrowed on the back of the girl's head. "Adri, don't start already-"

The male Haddock twin turned toward the back door. "Aaaaand I do believe that is my cue." Finn slung his quiver across his back and grabbed his bow, then strapped his axe to his belt. "I'm going to the woods."

Astrid sighed. "Okay."

Finn closed the back door a little too loudly and took off into the woods. He hadn't a chance to have a good workout in a couple of days, so it was actually nice to not be needed at work quite yet. He used the long, ten minute run as a warm-up until he finally arrived at his own personal shooting range. He was already hot and sweaty by the time he arrived, but he didn't mind a bit. Luckily there was a creek less than half a mile away, so he could always jump in before going to work later.

For the next hour, Finn shot arrows and threw his axe into various trees, dummies, targets he'd made, and whatever else got in his way. It was rare for him to miss a target, but he didn't stop pushing himself to his limits to see how hard he could throw, how far he could shoot. It wasn't just a desire to be strong anymore—it was an obsession to become the strongest.

Finn completed his workout with a jog to the creek, taking off his boots and washing his face when he arrived. He knew from experience that a too strenuous workout before working in the forge would make him sick. He didn't exactly feel like losing his lunch before lunch even came.

Lying on his back, he stared up at the cloudy blue sky. The sun peeked out from between the treetops every time the wind rustled the leaves. It was fixing to be another beautiful day on Berk. If only he could enjoy it.

He worked hard; he pushed himself to his limits every day; he went to bed feeling accomplished. But when he woke up every morning he felt very unsatisfied. It was a vicious cycle every day: get up, work hard, eat, sleep, get up, work hard, eat, sleep. He loved what he was doing—he loved working at the forge and hanging out with his friends. But he couldn't deny the empty feeling that he felt in his chest every morning when he woke up with too much new energy to sit still and let lonely thoughts creep in and strangle him.

He wouldn't allow himself to feel. Feelings make a man weak. Feelings are just a weakness, period. A man needs to find his strengths and work hard to hone in on those strengths so he can better eliminate his weaknesses. That was the only way to survive in a world like this, where one has a whiny, innocent twin sister, hardcore mother that tries to keep everyone happy, and workaholic father that does nothing but gripe to you about his issues.

A splash of cold water caught him by surprise and he jerked, shooting a glare towards his offender. His eyes narrowed playfully at his girlfriend, Helga Ingermann. "What're you doing, lazy butt?" She asked with a wolfish grin.

Finn stretched back out on the grass. "Jus' chillin, babe."

"You look angry."

"And you look good enough to eat. What's your point?"

Helga plopped herself beside him, sitting cross-legged and flicked his ear. "Pft. Cannibal."

"Mmmmmhm."

"Stop ogling me, you creeper!" Helga slapped him in the ribs.

Finn laughed. "Relax. Join me before I have to leave for work."

Helga sighed dramatically. "If you insist!" She twisted around and laid her head down on Finn's stomach, staring up at the sky. "So why are you angry?"

Finn huffed. "Helga-"

"Yes?"

"Ugh… I was just thinking about my family."

"You mean your dad?"

"He's not all I think about, trust me. He's typically the last thing I think about."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Well at least you think about him."

"Now why'd you have to say that?" Finn grumbled. "Now I have to work hard to not do that-"

"Seriously, why do you have to be that way?"

"What?"

Helga rolled around to see his face. She scrutinized him carefully, like he was a cod to buy and she was weighing him to be sure he'd feed the whole family. "He does a lot for this village. He works just as hard as you do every day, probably harder because he's got more on his plate. The least you could do is give him respect where he deserves it. Not many men could lead a whole village."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Not many men can properly raise children either."

Helga huffed. "Finn…"

"What? You know it's true! All he does is work, and when he is home he just mopes around about how stressed he is-"

"Do you want him to do that in front of the whole village?" Helga countered. "Honestly Finn, don't you let your guard down when you're at home?"

"No." Finn snapped. "I don't." He abruptly sat up and began pulling one of his boots back on. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because you're my boyfriend, and you have next to no relationship with your father. I can't imagine despising my mom or dad that much. And they're worried about him, besides."

Finn's tugging slowed to a stop. "Your parents are worried about my dad? Why?"

Helga glared at him. "Because they've been friends since they were children, Finn. Everyone on this island sees how torn up he is about you and Adrianna, and you refuse to see it."

Finn shrugged nonchalantly, "So what, you're sympathizing with my dad now?"

"I can only feel sorry for you for so long. You're the only one who won't make a change. I've witnessed that man bend over backwards for you countless times to try to make amends and you won't have it."

"No-"

"Every time he approaches you he's calm and collected, and he's always upset when he leaves. You're the one being aggressive and making things difficult—"

"Did you come all the way out here to lecture me?" Finn growled. "Because I don't need it, Helga!"

"Sooo what?" Helga asked quietly. The change in volume threw him off so much he had to focus on her next words. "Are you going to shove me away too for trying to help?" Finn gritted his teeth and stared forward in the creek. He felt her move closer until she was sitting right beside him. "You can't win every argument. You're my boyfriend, my best friend. We have been for years." He felt her fingers on his cheek and finally allowed her to turn his face back to face hers. "I'm bringing this up because I care. I want you to be happy."

Finn felt himself gradually relax, though his stomach still churned angrily. Instead of voicing his thoughts and probably starting another argument, he forced himself to look calm. He kissed her gently once, then more firmly a second time, allowing her to relax against him. He almost hated making her feel like she'd won the argument because she really hadn't. But he didn't want to leave angry with her; sometimes kissing her was the only way to get her to shut up.

He leaned in closer, pushing his fingers through her hair and pulling her closer. His tongue barely brushed against her lips before she pulled back with a wild grin and he suddenly found his other boot thrown at his face.

"Your feet stink, Haddock." Helga promptly announced before standing and sashaying toward the trees. "Take a bath."

Finn watched her walk away as he tugged on his other boot and grabbed his things. "I'll only take a bath if you join me."

Helga whipped around with a horrified blush on her cheeks. "FINN!"

The teenager grinned as he stood and gestured toward the creek. "What? We've got a creek," Next he raised a hand toward the woods and the treetops, "We've got full coverage-OW!" Finn rubbed his head where the rather large pinecone had landed.

"Put a ring on my finger and I'll consider it." Helga sassed.

Finn snorted, "Yup." Marriage was the last thing on his mind. He didn't plan to get married anytime soon whatsoever. He grabbed his weapons and trotted after her. "I suppose I'll just have to postpone all the fun."

"Fine by me."

"Invitation's always op-OW! Gods, stop slapping me, woman!"

In some ways, the past year and a half had been awful to Erick. He only had his mother, who seemed to despise his very existence. He also had to live under the same roof as Nikolas and his wife, both of whom went out of their way to make him miserable. To this very day he still hadn't held a civil conversation with his childhood best friend—if he ever spoke to Adrianna it was usually short with a touch of sarcasm or cynicism, from both parties. He couldn't deny that he missed quite a few things from times gone by.

But there were some good things that he'd grown to love and appreciate, particularly with relationships. First off, he'd built a great friendship with Taryn. They'd been dating for a few months now. After his father had died, he'd been morose and solemn for countless weeks. He remembered overhearing whispers from passersby on his growing depressions. It wasn't until one day in the Great Hall that Taryn sat beside him for dinner that he slowly but surely came back to the land of the living. Grief had buried in him so deeply that he didn't realize how much he really needed a friend to help him get through it.

They started hanging out as friends in the Great Hall on a regular basis. Meals turned into lengthy conversations about everything and nothing, she'd visit him at Horst's leather shop to have the straps fixed on her saddle more times than was healthy for the material. Taryn was good for him—she was kind, smart, funny, but timid. She didn't speak up in big groups and wasn't very confident in herself, especially around the more popular kids. He found that he didn't mind though. It wasn't good to be overly confident either.

He'd never had a good or bad relationship with his 21-year-old sister Aud, either. They were simply siblings; they loved each other, but didn't spend a whole lot of time together. But after their father died, Aud seemed to take her little brother under her wing. Erick blocked her out like everyone else at first, but she was the first one to break through his shell. Out of everyone in the family, he would've thought it to be Magnus. But it had been Aud who'd gotten him back on his feet.

Now they spent time with each other on an almost regular basis. Aud had married her husband, Curt two years ago, which had been a surprise to him at first. Aud was the complete opposite of Magnus. While Magnus would spend at least half an hour in the washroom fixing her hair and smoothing out her skirts, their mother had to nearly force Aud into wearing a skirt. She'd always been running around with the boys as a little girl—the Larson's Wild Child, they called her. In a strange way, Aud sometimes reminded him of Finn—always running around doing something, always loud and obnoxious, kind of abrasive, but capable of compassion and kindness.

Well, Erick wasn't quite sure if Finn was capable of compassion and kindness. He was the kind of kid who smashed butterflies because they made too much wind as they fluttered by. He wasn't exactly known for his sweet spirit.

Between Taryn and Aud, Erick found his life tolerable. He worked from sunup to sundown almost every day. He'd spend the evenings with either Taryn at the Great Hall or her family's house or Aud's if his mother didn't demand that he stay home. Sometimes Charger would literally charge into the leather shop to drag him out for a flight. It was simple and comfortable and easy—he had no worries.

Currently, Erick was putting the finishing touches on a new saddle for one of Berk's newest dragon riders. The girl's father had put the order in two days prior and he'd asked for it to be finished in time for her twelfth birthday. At first Erick had been a little peeved at the short notice, but he found he liked the challenge. The end product was looking pretty nice besides.

Horst poked his head into Erick's shop. "I'll be heading out soon. You about done?"

"Yeah, I'll be done shortly." Erick replied.

"All right. Be sure to close the back door good and tight. We don't want anyone breaking in."

Erick cocked an eyebrow at his mentor. "There'd probably be no point in locking the door if someone was to break in-"

"All right, Mr. Smartypants." Horst chuckled as he left the room. "Be sure to douse the lamps!"

"Okay."

The blond teen heard Horst grab his bags and leave out the front door, whistling as he walked to his home a few blocks away. Horst was another person he was thankful for—calm in demeanor, yet stern when necessary, Horst had also played a huge part in getting him back on his feet. Of course, Erick wouldn't admit it to the man's face, but he almost looked up to the older man as an uncle. It just didn't seem right to label him as a mere family friend or just his mentor.

Erick chewed his lip as he worked, sewing the last loops into the leather. Finally, he sewed the girl's name into the leather just under the handlebars with extra fancy swirls. He figured most guys would laugh at his talent for "flowery" penmanship, but he didn't care. He used it for little girls' saddles and that was about it.

A knock sounded at the front doorway and Erick was on his feet without thinking. He hustled into the front room as a musical female voice called out, "Horst?" Erick stopped in his tracks in surprise.

Adrianna stood in the doorway with a tall brunet teenager whom Erick had never met before. Seeing her alone stole Erick's breath away for reasons he didn't want to count. But seeing her here in his workshop with a guy—well, if he cared at all then the idea wouldn't be that preposterous. She was a pretty teenage girl and surely she had male friends. Not that he cared at all.

"Oh." Adrianna remarked in a surprised, yet flat tone. "I…" She stole a nervous glance at the teenage boy beside her, who merely raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Adrianna," Erick attempted a smile. It felt like a grimace. "Do you need something?"

"Ah, well… it's fine, I was just looking for Horst-"

"He just left for the day," Erick shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What did you need?"

Adrianna took a step back toward the door, clearly uncomfortable. He held back a huff. Even when he wasn't trying to be rude, she had to run away. "It's okay, we'll just come back tom-"

"Nani, what's the big deal?" The boy spoke up with raised eyebrows. "Since he works here…"

"Yeah, since I work here…" Erick echoed quietly, scuffing his boot against a table leg.

Adrianna narrowed his eyes at him with a scowl. She took a moment to stew before turning to the tall boy. "I'm being rude. Brandyn, this is Erick. Erick, Brandyn." She didn't sound very sorry for "being rude".

Brandyn stepped closer into the shop with a wide grin and hand extended. "Ah, so you're the famous Erick."

Erick shook his hand firmly but not without calmly replying, "More like infamous, but I suppose I should be thankful for the recognition anyway?" Adrianna pursed her lips from the doorway. Erick ignored the quizzical look the other boy was giving him. "So I take it one of you has some work for me to do?"

Brandyn walked to the doorway and grabbed a saddle sitting just outside. He tossed it to Erick, who instantly took note of the damage.

"Yikes." Erick held it up in front of him to better see the acid damage. "I'm just going to go out on a limb here… Changewing?"

Brandyn snickered. "Yeah, he got a little feisty on a flight earlier today."

"One question," Erick mused in honest curiosity. "How did you manage to get a saddle burn that big directly behind your dragon's head without getting burned yourself?"

The brunet shrugged nonchalantly. "Couldn't tell ya."

"The real question is," Adrianna cut in coldly, "can you fix it? Or should we pay Horst to do it?"

Brandyn looked at her in surprise. "Nani…"

Erick met her eye and didn't think twice. "No, I'll do it, free of charge."

"What?" The other teens asked in surprise.

"And…" Erick walked to a nearby closet and dug around for nearly a minute. He reemerged with another saddle in his hands, which he tossed to Brandyn. "I'll let you use that in the meantime."

Adrianna shook her head. "This isn't your store; are you even allowed to do that?"

"As for pay, I make my own calls with my own work. And the saddle is procedure. Shouldn't you know these things, princess?" Erick turned on his heel to set the ruined saddle on an empty bench. He could almost hear Adrianna gritting her teeth as he wrote a note for Horst.

"Don't call me, princess."

Erick turned back to her with a sharp glare. "Then don't insult me on my own turf. You can treat me like dirt anytime you want, but you could've spared him the drama." Erick jerked his chin toward Brandyn, who was chewing his finger nervously.

"Oh get off your high horse, Erick, like you care about other people-" Adrianna began.

Brandyn clapped his hands loudly. "So!" He turned to Erick with a wide grin. "When should I pick it up?"

Erick breathed slowly through his nose to calm the burning ire in his chest. "When do you want to pick it up?"

"Well, I don't want to keep you from other jobs you have to do-"

"Brandyn really, work is work. Unless it's Snoggletog, I won't be that busy for a while." Erick shrugged. "When do you want to pick it up?"

The brunet looked at Adrianna in askance before making a decision. "Thursday?"

"Works for me."

"Cool, thanks man." Brandyn shook his hand again and stepped toward the doorway, sensing Adrianna's impatience.

"Anytime." Erick leaned against the doorway as they walked out. "Have a good night; don't stay out too late… yada yada."

Adrianna frowned over her shoulder. "Are you my dad, now?"

Brandyn grabbed her sleeve and dragged her away from the shop. "See you Thursday, Erick. Nice to meet you."

"You too, Brandyn. Have fun on Berk." Erick watched with narrowed eyes as the duo walked away. "While you can."

Erick turned back into the store with a huff, closing the door and quickly dousing the lamps. He snatched his coat and satchel off his desk chair and tromped out the back door, carefully locking it. A squawk interrupted his musings. He looked up to give a small smile at Charger, who jumped down from the roof and bent his big green head for a scratch.

"Hey there, big guy," Erick scratched his dragon's chin, smirking when the Nadder began pounding one leg on the ground. "Come on, we're late." He hoisted himself into the saddle and urged Charger to take off. He was thankful that Charger had waited for him today. Aud's house was on the other side of the village and the last time he'd gone over there, it had rained. He was lucky that he didn't catch a cold.

The 15-minute walk was reduced to a 2-minute flight. The smell of roasting chicken, potatoes and homemade rolls wafted from the open windows. Erick didn't realize how hungry he was. As Charger landed and he slid to the ground, Erick wondered just how his tomboy sister also became one of the family's best cooks. Magnus and Lara had admittedly good cooking skills, but Aud knocked them out of the water every time. His sister-in-law couldn't cook a potato, let alone cut one.

That was another thing they did as a way to bond: cooking. It was strange when he'd first visited Curt and Aud's house and she'd invited him to help cook dinner. The first few times were awkward because he felt like he was doing a woman's job, but over time he discovered that he enjoyed it. He remembered taking the trip with the chief, Finn, and the council a few years ago, and he and Finn had both made food a couple times for the men. They'd all been surprised at the boys' talents.

Those were the good days when he'd been friends with Adrianna and Finn, his father and Benen were still alive; The chief still smiled and didn't work himself to the bone; he had a relationship with his kids... nobody had come away from that Snoggletog unscathed, it seemed.

Erick marched inside and called a greeting to Aud and Curt while hanging up his coat and satchel. He glanced into a nearby mirror and rubbed a few dirt marks off his face with his sleeve. Adrianna came to mind again and he scowled, wondering why in the world he cared if she saw him with soot on his face or not. He'd been working so what did it matter? What did it matter what she thought anyway? He didn't care.

"You stare at that mirror any harder, it's going to shatter."

Erick smiled at his sister when she walked into the kitchen. "Just testing out my poker face."

"Uh huh," Aud smiled knowingly while she checked the potatoes and rolls baking in the oven. She glanced at Erick washing his hands from the wash basin on the other side of the room, the scowl still on his face.

Curt marched down the stairs noisily, slapping Erick on the back as he walked past. "Hey squirt!"

"Hey," Erick remarked flatly.

Aud rolled her eyes and faced him. "Aaaaall right, what's the problem?"

"Problem?" Erick asked as he dried his hands on a towel. He didn't look at her. "Who said I have a problem?"

"Your face did."

Curt snorted. "That sounded similar to a 'your mom' joke, but dumber."

"Shut up, Curt."

"Yeah, shut up Curt." Erick echoed with a smirk.

Curt crossed his arms. "You dare insult your host?"

"Hey," Erick held up his hands. "The hostess insulted the host first. And every good man knows that the hostess's word is law."

Aud chortled. "Yeah, so shut up Curt."

"Hey!"

Erick and Aud cracked up. Curt grabbed a nearby pillow off the couch and threw it at Erick, who easily dodged. He twisted the wet hand towel in his hand and gave Curt a warning glance. Curt gasped, "No, don't you-OWWW ERICK YOU LITTLE- COME HERE!"

"Hey hey HEY!" Aud shouted, trying not to laugh as they tore through the house, jumping over the couches and up the stairs. "Don't break anything or I'll slap you both with wet towels!" A loud crash and uproarious laughter was the only reply.

Erick quickly found himself in a headlock and dragged down the stairs backwards, which was a difficult feat. The victim had no choice but to trust his captor that he wouldn't be dropped backwards down the stairs to come crashing to his demise. Or at the very least into a heap of blond embarrassment. Either way, it didn't sound appealing.

"Gahh… Curt… can't breathe… ha…"

"Curt, come on, let the kid go. Mama would have my hide if I delivered him dead."

Curt pouted and released the teen, who quickly stood up with a red face. Erick hurried into the kitchen to help Aud grab a few cups that were just too high for her reach. He tried to keep his tone light, but he couldn't resist replying, "She'd probably rejoice, actually."

Aud rolled her eyes. "Erick, come on, she's not that bad."

"You don't have to live with her anymore."

"Mom isn't as kind as she used to be, I admit it." Aud pulled the rolls out of the oven, filling the room with a wonderful smell that reminded Erick of Snoggletog eve. He frowned; if only Snoggletog eve held great memories anymore. "…remember that she still loves you."

"Hmph," Erick replied noncommittally.

"Erick-" Curt rested his arm on Aud's and shook his head gently. Aud blew her blonde bangs out of her eyes but nodded. Her little brother came here to spend time with them and get away from the family stress. Of course he wouldn't want to talk about it. "Do you want to get the chicken off the fire?"

"Yes ma'am!" Erick nearly jumped out of his seat, making the couple snort.

They watched him in silence while Curt set the rest of the table. They knew Erick to be a hard worker and he was gradually becoming more social with the kids, but it had been a tough road for him the past few years. Aud wanted nothing more than to see his dimpled smile as often as it was when their father was alive and he'd spent every waking moment with his best friend. She missed his happy smile.

The trio was soon sitting around the table, joking or dodging the occasional piece of chicken or potato. The Larson matriarch really would have their hides if she'd been present to witness such an atrocity at the dinner table, but Aud had always been a rebel. Curt and Erick only followed suit.

"So," Erick stabbed a potato and studied it like it was a work of art. "When are you guys having babies?"

Curt promptly choked on his chicken and slapped a hand over his mouth. Aud smirked and clapped him on the back a few times. "Well… we're not sure. I mean… whenever, I guess. Why?"

Erick shrugged, still staring at his potato. "Because babies are cool."

"Don't you mean loud? Smelly?" Curt asked.

Aud slapped his arm. "Babies are not smelly-"

"They can be!"

"That doesn't mean they're smelly all the time, Curt."

"I think you'd make a good dad, Curt."

Curt paused in surprise and chuckled nervously. "Thanks, Erick. I… don't know anything about babies. I think I've got some stupid dad jokes hidden somewhere up my sleeve, but that's about it. Not very helpful when they're just wrinkly, pink balls of… mush."

"Curt."

"What?"

"Eh, they just take practice." Erick waved his hand. "I remember the first kid Mikaela had. I almost dropped him because he was so light."

"Yeah, he was tiny. But you know what else takes practice?" Aud shoved her plate aside and stared at Erick beadily until he made eye contact. "Relationships of the dating sort."

"Ahh, here we go: the juicy stuff!" Curt leaned forward excitedly.

Erick sighed. "Oh man."

"How's Taryn?" Aud began, steepling her fingers in front of her lips.

Erick sighed again but played along. "She's fine. She likes working with Grandma Ingerman with pottery and weaving. It's calm and she gets to talk to a lot of ladies about… womanly stuff, I guess. Whatever you womenfolk talk about."

"I second that." Curt nodded.

Aud smiled knowingly. "What else does she do?"

Erick shrugged. "Makes curtains or homemade soaps or candles… gardening, sewing… Lots of stuff, really."

"Sounds like she's a housewife in the making." Aud's eyes twinkled.

"Mmmmmhm." Curt's eyebrows danced up and down so much that Erick began to blush.

"Ohh shut up." The couple cracked up when the teenager buried his red face in his hands. A thrill of excitement ran up Aud's spine when she saw the dimples on his cheeks.

"She'll make a good wife someday," Aud patted his hand. "I'm just not so sure she's the girl for you."

Erick lifted his head with a confused expression. "I mean… I'm not exactly looking to get married anytime soon yet but… ouch?"

"No I mean… she's a great girl, she is." Aud watched the smile melt off her brother's face. "I just… feel like there's someone who balances you better."

"Like?" Aud paused, trying to choose her words carefully. Erick's eyes narrowed at her silence until he finally sat back in his chair with a thump. "Seriously? Don't go there-"

"It's been more than a year." Aud held out her hands in a placating manner. "I'm not saying that things have been easy for either of you… or that breaks can be mended in a short time. Things take time, I understand-"

"Adrianna hates me, Aud." Erick forced out, staring at the table when he couldn't meet her eyes any longer. "She's downright mean, even when I'm trying to be civil."

"You should drop some flowers off at her house one day." Curt said while checking his teeth in a spoon. Aud slapped his hand down, making Erick smile a little. "It might make her day."

Erick snorted. "She'd probably burn them at the first chance. Not that I'd actually take you up on that suggestion."

"Why not?"

"Because I have a girlfriend, Curt." Erick remarked shortly. "You don't give flowers to your… ex-best friend when you have a girlfriend."

Curt opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "Well when you're not dating then."

"Are you saying that you want me to dump your sister?"

"No! Well… no."

"Curt."

"What?" He asked incredulously. "No, I don't want that, but… I have to say I agree with Aud, not because she's the hostess and the hostess's word is law, mind you. You and Taryn have a lot of good qualities together… but the puzzle pieces just don't quite fit." He held Erick's gaze nervously. "Does that make sense?"

Erick pursed his lips to the side before dropping his eyes to the floor. "Yeah. Perfect sense. You know, the one good thing going for me is being shot down, but that's okay! It doesn't matter or anything-"

"Erick, that's not-" Aud began.

"No, you know what? No. It's fine." Erick huffed, standing and grabbing plates to take to the kitchen.

"We're not even saying that it's a bad relationship, Erick." Aud stood with him. She grabbed his hand to make him look at her. Teal eyes locked on blue. "I just… don't want you to get hurt if it doesn't work out."

Erick gently pulled his hand away and grabbed a handful of plates. "I'm always getting hurt, Aud." He swiftly took the dishes to the sink before she could comment, effectively closing the conversation.

Aud sat beside her husband with a sigh. Curt brushed her bangs out of her eyes, giving her a gentle, loving smile. "He'll be okay," he whispered.

She nodded and glanced over her shoulder at Erick furiously scrubbing a plate. "I just want to see him smile again. Really smile. Even Taryn hasn't given him that."

Curt squeezed her hand. "He's only sixteen. He's got plenty of mistakes to make before he finds his way."

Aud tittered. "He's had enough trial and error. I don't know when I got so protective of him."

"Your dad's death took a huge toll on him. And he's doing better." Curt fingered the ring on her finger. "I'm proud of my sister for stepping up and being his friend. That was all he needed, someone around his age to talk to. But… I just hope that at least their friendship will last even if the relationship doesn't."

"I think it will." Aud smiled and kissed his forehead. "Trial and error, right?"

Curt grinned. "Trial and error."

"Hey, am I going to clean up your mess all by myself?" Erick called from the kitchen.

Aud turned to him fully. "No actually, I think we were talking about going upstairs and making some-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" Erick and Curt both shouted loudly, the teenager covering his ears with wet, soapy hands.

"Hey, you brought up babies, not me." She slapped Curt's shoulder. "Why are you so upset about this?"

Curt blinked. "I'm feeling empathetic for my young friend over there!"

Aud smirked, twisting a finger through his dark coarse hair. "You should be thinking more of me than Erick-"

"Oh gods, please spare me or I will walk out."

"HICCUP! HICCUP HICCUP HICCUP HIIIIICCCCUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!"

"WHAT WHAT WHAT!" Hiccup stood up from his seat in the Great Hall, nearly tripping on Toothless' tail when Tuffnut forcefully bowled him over. The two men went sprawling head over heels, multiple council members or villagers crying out in surprise and jumping to their aid. The teenagers cackled with delight as Gobber yanked the chief back to his feet. "Owww… Gods, Tuff, what is-"

"Svala!" Tuffnut grappled with a bench for a moment before whacking his head on the table. More teenage laughter in the background erupted, but he swiftly ignored them, accepting Snotlout's hand. "Svala, baby! IT'S COMING!"

"Oh!" Hiccup nodded, slinging his arm around his friend's shoulders and steered him toward the doors. "Then why in Odin's good graces are you here talking to me? Shouldn't you be, oh I don't know, with her?"

Tuffnut jerked out of his grasp and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him violently. "I don't! Know what! To DO! MAN!"

Hiccup slapped his friend's hands away urgently. He could almost feel a blush rising to his cheeks at how hard the teenagers were laughing now. He was at least a little pleased to hear Finn's laughter mixed in with the rest of the group. The thought made him want to be a little more expressive to see how his son would react.

"Tuff, you don't DO anything!" Hiccup threw his hands up. "You just hold her hand, slap a wet cloth on her head and let her do all the work."

"Ooooooooh!" The teenagers erupted as many of the adults looked over at them with confused expressions. Hiccup glanced over in time to see Finn shake his head and take a big swig of his drink. He seriously hoped that was cider or they'd be having a father to son chit chat later on. Again.

He turned back into Tuffnut's rambling: "-told me to just hold her hand and slap a wet cloth on her forehead? That's the most insensitive thing you've ever said in your life!"

"Probably not."

"Astrid would be kicking your butt so hard right now-"

"Probably." Hiccup gestured to Snotlout to take Tuff's other side and together they frogmarched their friend toward the doors. "Now, this is your first kid and after all this time, I think the Great Hall entertaining the teenagers is probably the last place you want to be."

"Y-yeah probably… I'm just freaking terrified!" Tuffnut yanked free of their arms and shoved the doors open. "I don't know what I'm doing! I mean… all this time and it's been so long, but I honestly don't know what I'm doing!"

"Tuff," Snotlout squeezed his shoulder. "Trust me man, no matter how much advice we could give you that we probably haven't already said, you still won't feel prepared."

"They don't come with a manual." Hiccup added.

Snotlout frowned. "You basically got to watch us make all the mistakes before you have your own. You should have the perfect child!"

That comment struck a chord in Hiccup's chest. He didn't know why it bothered him so much. It wasn't directed toward him at all and Snotlout hadn't meant to be insensitive—he tended to be the most insensitive when he wasn't thinking too hard anyway. That's why Hiccup had learned early on as a kid to take Snotlout's word with a grain of salt.

But watch everyone else make all the mistakes? Perfect child? Snotlout and Heather didn't seem to have made very many mistakes. Granted, their daughter Inga still struggled with those sudden episodes that no one besides Benen could explain. Their twin boys were very much little Snotlouts running rampant around the village. Then there was Fishlegs and Ruffnut—they didn't seem to have very many issues in their family either.

His family… whew. He and Astrid had struggled since day one. How many valuable life lessons had their friends learned due to his own mistakes? How many things had they done differently than he had to have a different outcome? It wasn't a very comforting thought to consider.

They were nearly to the healer's house by now. A sharp cry of pain erupted from the house and Tuffnut gasped. "Svala!" He took off at a run and the remaining men chuckled.

"I'm happy for him." Snotlout grinned.

"Me too."

Snotlout raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't sound very thrilled."

Hiccup snorted. "I'll be glittering with joy once she's here."

"It's a girl?"

Hiccup winked and slid into a sitting position beside Toothless, who'd just arrived with a cod tail sticking out of his mouth. "Now we wait."

The men sat until darkness fell and Svala's muted cries echoed through the silent village. Hiccup judged it to be around ten thirty when her cries were replaced by the wails of a newborn. Toothless jumped up and down excitedly, bounding toward the Mara's home as fast as he could.

Hiccup laughed. "Calm down, ya big lug, that's not our baby to keep." Toothless crooned sadly. "Nope. Our time for babies is done, I'm afraid."

Snotlout snorted. "Until Finn fathers an heir, that is. Or Adrianna has a kid. Either way."

Hiccup shook his head. "Let it not be so for many years to come."

The door opened and Mara stepped outside with a bright smile. "It's a girl!"

"Ha! Told you." Hiccup smirked.

"How? I still don't get it."

"Every dragon master has his secrets. Maybe one day I'll show them all to you!" Hiccup laughed and stepped into the house.

"Oh great, next you'll be offering me a position at your side to unlock all the dragons' mysteries and find every lost species together or something."

"Ya know, if I didn't have a village to run, Snotlout, I just might take you up on that offer."

"I wasn't offering anything! That was hypothetically what you'd be offering me if you didn't have a village to run! Which I definitely wouldn't take, by the way! A whole adventure with just you and me and our dragons to keep us from killing each other? Just kill me now-"

"Snotlout!" Heather emerged from one of the rooms and he jerked.

"Babe? What are you doing here?"

Heather rolled her eyes. "I was helping Svala deliver the baby. I told you this."

Snotlout stared at her blankly. "Yeah. You… told me this."

Heather huffed, waving them through the door. "You're too loud besides. Come say hi."

Svala sat up in the bed looking exhausted and Tuffnut sat beside her with an arm wrapped around her shoulders, but both of them were absolutely glowing. Svala held her new precious baby to her chest, swaddled in a pink blanket and tracing her finger around her little face.

Hiccup didn't realize he was grinning until Tuffnut and Svala both looked up at them. Tuffnut pointed down at the baby and nearly squealed, "My baby. Guys, that's my baby!"

Everyone laughed out loud as Svala kissed his cheek. Under normal circumstances, nobody would ever witness Tuffnut cry; Hiccup couldn't honestly remember if and when he'd seen Tuffnut cry. But his friend's gray eyes very clearly brimmed with tears and not a single person judged him. After three miscarriages and years of being told that they couldn't have children, the Thorstons had finally been blessed with the gods' most precious gift to mankind.

"What's her name?" Hiccup asked softly.

Svala beamed. "Ava. Ava Grace."

Snotlout breathed a laugh. "She's tiny."

"Ehh…" Tuffnut smirked at Hiccup. "We've seen tinier babies."

A sharp ping stabbed Hiccup's heart for the second time that night, and again he was at a loss. Tuffnut hadn't meant anything by it so why was he getting irrationally offended? He was being beyond ridiculous.

He forced a smile onto his face, which became easier when little Ava stretched a fist outside of her pink bundle and squeaked in discomfort. The adults chuckled lightly before Mara stepped forward. "Well, I think it's time everyone headed out. Svala and Ava need their beauty sleep."

"What, I don't need my beauty sleep?" Tuffnut asked loudly, causing Ava to whimper. His eyes widened and he gently patted her head. "Sorry, baby."

Hiccup and Snotlout snickered. "Goodnight, guys. Congratulations."

The Thorstons bid them goodbye and Mara saw them out the door. Toothless warbled outside, trying to nose his way through but Hiccup blocked him. "No buddy, you'll have to wait a few more weeks. Don't give me that look, she's too small for your slobbers!"

Snotlout snorted, taking Heather's. "All right, we're going home." He slapped Hiccup's shoulder and walked off.

"Good night, Snotlout. Heather."

Hiccup watched them go for a moment before sliding into his saddle. "All right bud, let's go home."

Either the flight home took a lot less time than usual or Hiccup wasn't paying attention, either way, he saw two dark shapes in the window of the dragon pen at the Haddock home. And he had a very bad feeling about those shapes, especially taking the Changewing just outside the pen into account.

Hiccup walked in without knocking, his heart clenching as he saw his daughter and Brandyn laughing and joking as they walked in together. He should have been thankful that Adrianna was perfectly fine but he was more concerned with the fact that she'd had no good reason for being out this late. She looked around and suddenly jumped.

"Dad! I, uh, I didn't see you there!" she exclaimed, the smile melting off her face.

Hiccup tensed. "Inside, Adrianna."

The Haddock girl crossed her arms. "What? Why?"

"Because it's almost 11 at night." Hiccup said in a very controlled tone. "So say good night to Brandyn. I'll take care of Lily."

Adrianna opened her mouth to speak but Brandyn swiftly cut her off. "Anna, it's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Whose side are you on?" the girl asked in a rather snippy tone.

"Uh, his, if I have to choose." Brandyn shrugged. "He's the one with all the cards."

"No, he really isn't."

Hiccup's voice elevated in volume. "Adria-"

"I'm going! Gods!" Adrianna snarled, stomping up to the side door closest to the house. "See you tomorrow, Brandyn." she said in a falsely cheerful voice before turning on her heel and walking through it, slamming it behind her.

There was a very awkward silence. Brandyn eyed Hiccup apprehensively and was slightly alarmed at the cross expression on the Hooligan chief's usually relaxed features.

"Uhh, I guess I could have gotten her back sooner."

"Could have?"

"Should have!" Brandyn corrected himself.

"I don't care if you go out on a flight. But don't keep her out this late again." Hiccup said curtly before turning around and, forgetting all about Lily, leaving the pen without another word.

Hiccup walked into the main room in stony silence. Adrianna was still there, wrestling with a stubborn boot that didn't seem to want to come off. She had only just managed to yank it off her foot when she saw her father standing there, surveying her with a scowl on his face.

"What?"

"Care to explain why you were out until 11 with a boy?" Hiccup asked, crossing his arms.

"Don't make it sound so scandalous." Adrianna rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened."

"I'm not saying I thought something had." Hiccup forced his voice to remain steady. "But your mom and I would have been really worried if we'd gotten back a bit earlier and you weren't here."

"What kind of person do you think I am?" Adrianna stood up, her temper clearly rising. "What, you honestly believed I'd, I don't know, sleep with him if he takes me on enough late night flights?"

"Adrianna!" Hiccup snapped. "This isn't about that!"

"Isn't it?" his daughter retorted. "Well you don't have to worry, Dad. I won't be going on any more late night flights. It's not as if I accidentally let time get away from me, no, it was clearly pure defiance this time."

"That's enough!" Hiccup roared. Adrianna stopped speaking, looking stunned. "Must you always jump to the most ridiculous conclusions? All I was going to say was don't do it again!"

"So say it! Spare me the lecture!"

"You could do with a few good lectures if you're going to talk to me like that!" Hiccup shouted. "I won't tolerate it! I am your father!"

"So act like one!" Adrianna shouted back. "I'm going to bed. Unless I need permission to sleep from the high and mighty king of the Haddocks."

"Fine! Get to bed! It's the first good idea you've had all day!" Hiccup grandly gestured to the stairs.

Adrianna immediately bolted to her room and slammed her door without as much as a "good night." Hiccup muttered darkly under his breath. Then, quite suddenly, he stomped outside, found the nearest tree, and slammed his fist into it. The familiar pain exploded in his knuckles but this time he felt that he liked it. Punishing himself for terrible parenting, for being an abject failure at everything lately, felt good. Almost relaxing in a twisted way. Again and again he punched the tree until there were bloody fist-prints dripping from its bark.

"Hiccup!"

For one horrifying moment, Hiccup thought it was Adrianna who had spoken but a split second later, he realized that, regardless of her current feelings toward him, she wouldn't have addressed him by his first name. He turned and met the cool blue eyes of his wife. She stared at him, horror-struck at the sight of her husband's red face which was screwed up in rage. Her eyes moved to the blood pouring from his fists, coating the tree in front of him.

The breath seemed to be sucked right out of Hiccup's lungs. He froze in place, his eyes unable to meet his wife's now that he knew that hers were latched onto him, taking in the sheer amount of blood dripping from his fists.

"What are you..." Astrid gasped. "Your hands... what did you..."

"I..." to Hiccup's immense irritation, he could feel tears welling in his eyes. "Just..."

"Here," Astrid said in the same sort of gentle tone she used with the twins when they were upset, "let's wrap that up."

Hiccup silently allowed himself to be steered into the house. He and Astrid were silent as Astrid cleaned and wrapped up his battered hands. She didn't speak again until they had been sitting in silence on the couch for several minutes. Then Astrid spoke, making her husband jump.

"You've got to stop doing this." she said calmly.

"Well what else am I supposed to do with these... these..."

"Feelings of inadequacy?" Astrid suggested. At Hiccup's stunned silence, she continued. "You don't usually lose it at the kids, Hiccup. What happened?"

"Addie came home late. You know."

"No," Astrid shook her head, "what upset you enough that you lashed out at her?"

A sinking feeling entered Hiccup's gut. "N-nothing." he said unconvincingly.

"Is it Ava?" Astrid pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well that's tough," said Astrid firmly, "because we are." she paused, waiting for Hiccup to retort, but he said nothing. "Brought back a lot of memories, didn't it?" the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile. "Ava looks a lot like Adri did when she was that little. I can tell you noticed."

"What exactly do you want me to say?" Hiccup asked darkly. "That I'm the worst person in the world for being jealous of the Thorstons instead of happy for them? Because it would be true."

"I had a feeling." Astrid sighed. "Fresh start, opportunity to protect their baby in ways we never could."

"Makes me feel like I've got the younger siblings I always wanted when I was little." said Hiccup with a scowl. "I get why people can't stand them now. They learn from your example and you make all the mistakes."

"Yeah, I guess." Astrid said dismissively. "But resenting them for opportunities they got that you didn't won't solve anything."

"It's how I feel." Hiccup mumbled.

"I know. I understand." Astrid put an arm around him and kissed his cheek. "Hard not to feel that way but..." she paused almost apprehensively. "Does this, does Ava being such a miracle baby-"

"Don't say it, Astrid."

"-remind you of something else?"

"If you're talking about Addie-"

"You know who I'm talking about." Astrid pressed.

Hiccup stared at her, his eyes wide. "We... we agreed we wouldn't talk about that."

"That was almost 12 years ago." Astrid shook her head. "We were young, we were stupid to make that agreement. But we should talk about it. I can tell it still affects-"

Anger surged in Hiccup's chest. "What? You want to... after all these years?" he suddenly stood up and started to pace. "What is there to say about it?"

"Hiccup, what happened with Darin wasn't anyone's fault." Astrid said shakily. "And the situations with Svala and me are different."

"Different how?" Hiccup snapped. "Tasha said there wouldn't be any more kids for you and me and Mara said the same for Svala after the second miscarriage."

"So you wish Tuff and Svala had lost little Ava because that would have made sense?" Astrid asked in a flat tone.

"No!" Hiccup shouted. "Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know! I never know with you because I was always afraid to bring him up!" Astrid ventured cautiously.

"What is there to say?" Hiccup suddenly bellowed. "He's dead, Astrid! Tasha said it was likely and you told me not to get my hopes up but I was stupid and I did and then he died just like she said he would."

"Hiccup..."

"You think seeing a couple defeat the odds in a way we couldn't doesn't affect me? You think I don't think about this every single day, wonder if he'd hate me as much as Finn and Addie do now, wonder what kind of ways I'd have ruined his life too?" Hiccup wiped angry tears out of his eyes, irritated at himself for crying during his tirade. "Even if he hadn't died, he probably would have gone through just as many horrors as the twins. I can't do this, Astrid. I can't." he collapsed on the couch and put his head in his hands.

Astrid stared at him, her mouth slightly agape at the angry rant she'd just witnessed. It was the most Hiccup had ever said about the subject in 12 years. She wasn't sure how to react or what to say. Slowly, she scooted herself closer to him and put her arms around him. For a moment, he was rigid, breathing heavily, and then he slowly lowered his head onto her shoulder.

"I miss him too." she whispered, kissing the top of his head. "And not a day goes by that I don't think about him. But we've got two amazing kids, Hiccup. That's more than so many people have. Let's honor his memory by making sure his brother and sister are raised right."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah... let's..." he sniffled and wiped his face with his hand. "Big day tomorrow. As usual." he mumbled. "Have to get to bed."

He rose without as much as a good night and climbed the staircase. Astrid stared at the bedroom door after he had shut it, feeling a rush of very conflicting emotions. On the one hand, it broke her heart to see her husband as depressed as he had been over the last few months. She ached for him, hoping each day that things wouldn't get worse. But on the other... perhaps she was being a bit selfish but in all of his despair, Hiccup didn't seem to pay much attention to her. The last time they'd had this long of a dry spell was when they'd been on the cusp of divorce but that was the farthest thing on Astrid's mind. He'd needed her then and she'd been aloof. Now she was determined to be there for him no matter what. But even so... two and a half months...

Shaking her head, she stood up and ascended the staircase. Hiccup would probably be curled up and pretending to be asleep when she entered. She didn't want to let this bother her. He was in pain. He needed support. But she had needs too.

She looked over at the doors to the twins' bedrooms. She could hear the soft snoring from Finn's room. He was usually dead to the world by ten. Adrianna had a light on. She was probably reading; she'd recently discovered an excellent book about two witches and their very complicated friendship. She'd cried all the way through the ending but still read it again. Astrid could never understand why people wanted to subject themselves to reading material that made them cry but then again, perhaps it was a bit like her propensity to make the same arguments with her stubborn children despite the fact that it did nothing but frustrate her more.

She looked back at her bedroom door. No sounds came from within the room and she knew Hiccup must be lying down and attempting to sleep now. Like Adrianna, Hiccup seemed to be drawn to things that made him emotional. Perhaps that was one of those things she'd never understand about him. But, she reminded herself as she pushed open the door, perhaps she wasn't supposed to understand it at all. What she knew for sure was that she was going to have to be the voice of optimism from now until things got better. And she hoped more than anything else that things would.

Then again, they always had. And there was no reason to believe that they wouldn't again.

Sorry it took so long, guys. I have to say, while EmmerzK was more of a contributing factor due to the reasons listed above, I definitely had a role to play in this chapter's lateness. I was recently triggered by a reader (accidentally, I might add) and suffered from extreme depression for days, which I'm still sort of shaking off. Things really weren't going well on either end but we apologize anyway.

Special thanks to night-fury-baby for proofreading and to Celia Smith and Honey Swamp for their kind words about this series on Pinterest. Funny how a google search for "Fearless Finn Haddock" can come up with things you didn't know existed. The reason for said search was to show a co-worker an example of an ESTP character I'd been working on.

Yes, Finn is an ESTP, for the MBTI enthusiasts, though I would think that's obvious. Adrianna, for the record, is an ENFP. My full list of MBTI types for this series' characters is available upon request.

I'd also like to promote an amazing author named The Worst Storywriter, who will soon be combining my favorite book with my favorite book series and has told me a bit about her plans, which are amazing! If you like Harry Potter and Matilda, I suggest you keep an eye out for her series, which she hasn't posted yet. I haven't been so excited for a fanfiction that isn't mine, Miss Pookamonga's, or EmmerzK's in a long time.

Don't forget to review!

~KateMarie999

P.S. Okay, this is pretty random, but I've created Sims 3 Sims of all my characters and I know how to send them to people now. If you want them and are willing to give out your email address, let me know. I've also got all of the major Big Hero 6 characters created, though it was Miss Pookamonga's doing on all but Hiro.