Well hi there! Long time no see… You guys should really be on top of things, I haven't heard from you! :P

Oooooookay, just kidding. I know what you're thinking: "This EmmerzK is soooo lame because she never writes and she hasn't written her chapter in weeks! DIE!" *throws bricks*

*dodges bricks* In retrospect, things have been CRAZY. I've worked a ton of overtime the past few weeks, so that's like… 50 hours. This coming week is going to be even more so I've been trying my hardest to get this chapter done. I've been sick with various colds and strep throat and all loads of crap this month too, so I think a few of my excuses hold some weight. I'm sorry, at any rate! :/

This chapter will be worth the wait I think. I warn you ahead of time that this story is about to take a nosedive into some emotional and traumatizing stuff, so brace yourselves. Please notify Katie if you need to consult on specifics.

Let us begin.

Chapter Five: Raid

BWAM BWAM BWAM!

The noise thundered through Finn's eardrums, making continued sleep completely impossible. He groaned and pulled his covers over his head. Though still reeling from the loud sounds that had awakened him, his head appeared to have been pounding all night.

His ears picked up the painfully loud sound of the door being haphazardly flung open and two pairs of footsteps thumping around with no regard for his discomfort. A bright light shone through his blankets and the Haddock boy finally opened his eyes to see his window wide open and two people staring down at him.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" bellowed a woman with tangled blonde hair and the wildest blue eyes Finn had ever seen. Her massive bosom heaved with restrained laughter at the sight of his hair, which was sticking out in all directions. "Betcha had fun last night, didn't ya?"

Finn made a humming sound and attempted to burrow into his blankets some more. The second person yanked off his bed coverings, exposing him to the much cooler air outside.

"Hey, what're you-"

"Time to get up." shouted the second person, who Finn now recognized as his mother. "No dilly dallying when there's work to do!"

Finn sat up slowly and pressed his eyes into his palms. The little lights danced in front of him before one of his elbows was seized and he was forcibly yanked from bed.

"Go on, get up, get dressed!" the other woman, who seemed to be Camicazi the Crazy herself, nearly dragged him across the room to his closet. She had an alarmingly tight grip, so tight that when she let go, Finn felt pins and needles as he regained circulation. "It's a bright, sunny day without a cloud in the sky! Perfect flying conditions, though of course, you won't have time for that, will you?"

"What?" Finn breathed. "I can't... got a headache."

"Oh, I bet you do!" Astrid exclaimed cheerfully as Camicazi hauled him upright and began shoving clothes into his arms. "Headaches are common in your condition but that's what you get for your little indulgence last night!"

"I was just..." Finn began but realized a split second later that he really had no excuse. "I have a headache so can you just-"

"No, we're not going to just!" Camicazi straightened him up to prevent him from slouching. "He's a real mess in the mornings, isn't he Astrid? I dunno about you but I think an ice cold bath would wake him up in no time!"

"I... what?" Finn shook his head felt suddenly nauseous. "No, I don't think I-"

"That is an excellent idea, Camicazi. In fact, we could draw it up right now. Help me get Finn down the stairs, will you?" Astrid grabbed Finn's arm and hung on tightly.

"It would be my pleasure!" Camicazi agreed, grabbing Finn's other arm.

The two woman hauled Finn down the stairs so fast, Finn would have tripped down them had he not been held upright. Hiccup was waiting downstairs rather expectantly for them, a smirk on his face.

"Ahh, if it isn't our little drunkard himself." he said serenely. "Looks like he needs to wake up quickly if he's going to be reorganizing the entire filing system at the library."

"What?" Finn shouted so loudly, he aggravated his own headache. "I've got work today!"

"Not anymore." Camicazi said gleefully as she helped Astrid yank off his shirt and push him into the already full bathtub, shorts and all. "Ooh look at him squirm! That sure woke him up in a hurry!"

Finn spluttered and gasped. "Why are you-"

"I think the better question," Hiccup interjected over Finn's complaints, "is why were you out drinking last night instead of celebrating your birthday responsibly? And legally? I could throw you in jail for a week if I wanted."

"You humiliated yourself, you humiliated your sister, and you humiliated us." Astrid added. "That's not something we're going to be taking lightly."

"What, you've never been drunk?" Finn shivered, not feeling coordinated enough to climb out of the tub while the room was still spinning.

"Your mother hasn't." Hiccup snapped. "As for me, I've only been drunk once and believe me, if the reason you were drunk last night was the same as mine, we'd be having a very different discussion."

Finn scowled. He wasn't going to press for details. Finally using the sides to hoist himself up, he got out of the tub, dripping water all over the floor.

"Now that you're all clean," Astrid tossed a towel at him and allowed him to dry his hair on his own, "you can get dressed and head over to the library. Matilda's got a lot for you to do and there's no time to waste if you want it all done today."

"I'm not going over to the library!" Finn threw his towel on the ground in his temper. "And it doesn't matter what I got up to last night! Everyone's doing it and they'll keep doing it whether you're being ridiculous about it or not!"

"That may be true but you are the heir and you are held to a higher standard." Hiccup said calmly. Finn opened his mouth to retaliate but the Haddock patriarch continued. "I know that's not fair but if you want to be chief, you've got to act like one."

"Says you." Finn grumbled. "But when I'm chief, I can run this island any way I want!"

Hiccup crossed his arms. "That's why I'm working so hard on you. So you'll want to be a good leader. And right now, that means filing with Matilda. This doesn't have to be a bad thing, your sister loves her. Perhaps you could learn a few things."

"My sister doesn't do anything wrong." Finn scowled at his father as he threw on a clean shirt. "Now if you don't mind, I need to put on some clean pants and I can take care of that by myself." he added, waving them away with his hands.

Hiccup shrugged and allowed Astrid and Camicazi to leave the room before shutting the door. He turned to Astrid.

"You did a pretty good job." he told her with a sigh.

"I left him some breakfast in there too and had Stormfly guard the other exit." Astrid smiled proudly. "Hopefully he won't pull something stupid like that again."

"Honestly, I'm surprised he was this stupid to begin with." Camicazi piped up. "Last time we met, he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. For a boy, of course."

"He's a teenager." Hiccup said, more to himself than to Astrid or Camicazi. "His body's being pumped with hormones every second of the day, of course he's going to act stupid. But that doesn't mean he's not old enough to know better."

"I think he'll come around." Camicazi assured him in a surprisingly comforting manner. "He's got you as a dad. My dad just told me I was crazy and went off to find normal Vikings to live with. He's on Brawn now, I still get letters."

"Well that's not exactly an option for me." Hiccup ran his hands down his face. "I've got too much to do in addition to all the parenting challenges that are becoming more stressful than regulating an entire village."

"That's why I came here!" Camicazi affectionately punched his shoulder, causing him to stumble back. "You sounded really stressed out in your letters so I thought you needed someone to come cheer you up and yell at your kids so you didn't have to!"

"Don't you have your own village to run?" Hiccup asked, rubbing the area she had punched and almost feeling the developing bruise through his shirt.

"My mother can take care of it for a few days." Camicazi waved away his concerns. "Besides, I like you. You're the only man I've ever met who isn't as stupid as a squashed fly when it comes to leading his people!"

"Gee, thanks." Hiccup gave her a deadpan expression but was inwardly pleased that she considered him worth her attention. He felt like that was a good sign, especially coming from someone who had grown up watching her mother refuse to ally themselves with the rest of the archipelago until he had come along. "Finn!" he pounded on the door. "You can't possibly need ten minutes to put on a pair of-"

Finn threw the door open and treated his family (minus Adrianna) with a contemptuous glare. "I'll just be going then."

Camicazi perked up. "I'll take you to Melinda's!"

"Matilda's."

"Whatever." she grabbed Finn's upper arm in her usual firm grip and yanked him out the front door. Finn was beginning to regret giving her a tour of the island the day before.

Hiccup turned to Astrid after shutting the front door. "I guess I'd better get to work too." he sighed. "Tell Addie not to go to the library today. The last thing he needs right now is her bursting in and annoying him."

"Will do." Astrid kissed Hiccup's cheek. "I'll clean up around here before heading off to the Academy." she eyed the mess her son had made with a frown. "And here I was thinking that teenagers would be neater than little kids."

"Funny how fast we forget what adolescence was like." Hiccup kissed her chastely on the lips before leaving the house, hoping that this was the last crisis he'd have to deal with for a while.

Inga Jorgenson and Alton Brand were about the most unlikely friends you could imagine. Inga was a thin eleven year old girl who was tall for her age and had a tendency to be completely blunt and honest, regardless of the consequences. Alton was twelve years old and a few inches shorter. He was also extremely excitable. Anyone might have thought that sort of friendship would burn out fast. But a year later, they were still going strong.

It wasn't hard to locate them if you knew how to look. You only had to imagine the most dangerous place to be on Berk and then you would stumble upon them daring each other to do the impossible. It was for this reason that Mara had started telling them that she'd have some of the builders erect a wall around the areas in which Inga and Alton most liked to play. But the pair of them scoffed at her words and continued to make stupid decisions, some of which landed them in her presence again and again.

On this particular day, the friends could be found at a small cove on the west side of the island. Alton was, as usual, being incredibly persuasive.

"It's not that far!" he was saying cheerfully to his reluctant friend. "Just a few steps and you'd be across it and no one would know."

"It's like you're trying to kill me." Inga retorted with an impish grin on her face. "Think you'll get my vast wealth if I snuff it before I turn 12?"

"Vast wealth?" Alton scoffed. "You couldn't trade everything you owned for a copper piece!"

"Sentimental value trumps anything." Inga crossed her arms and fixed her friend with an intimidating gaze that made him giggle. "And besides, you're the one who will die first."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Well I'm not a chicken!" Alton stepped up on a shaky log which had fallen across the cove. "Watch me get all the glory and cross this in twenty seconds flat!"

"Go ahead!" Inga put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I will!" Alton began to cross the log, a confident smile on his face as he walked. "See? It's so easy, a toddler could do it. So easy, you could do it!"

Inga's light blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she suddenly leaned over and gave the log a good shake. Alton let out an indignant yell and plunged into the water below.

"You cheater!" he bellowed at his cackling friend.

"You didn't say I couldn't do that!" Inga retorted with glee. "And look at you, you're fine!"

Alton swam as fast as he could to the shore, grumbling to himself. As he approached his friend, he heard another laughing voice echoing above them. Both Inga and Alton looked up to see Curt walking toward them, laughing so hard it was a wonder they hadn't heard him earlier. Alton's face went bright red.

"Nice going, little brother!" Curt grasped Alton's arm and yanked him to shore, still laughing hysterically. "You looked like you were about to topple off a hundred foot cliff when you lost your footing."

"Well he was acting rather full of himself." Inga added as she watched the brothers smacking each other playfully.

"Ahh, that's Ally for ya!" Curt rumpled the boy's hair, causing Alton to glower at him.

"My name's not Ally!" he snipped. "And I meant to do that!"

"Sure you did." Curt rolled his eyes. "Almost as much as I mean to do this!"

Curt suddenly gave his younger brother a hard shove. Inga was delighted to see her friend topple into the water yet again. However, Alton had been half expecting this and grabbed Curt's arm as he went down. Curt let out a yell as he too tumbled over his brother and into the cold pond.

"YOU LITTLE- HOW DARE YOU!" Curt splashed Alton with the freezing water, causing his brother to laugh and splutter. "You're supposed to respect your elders!"

"Yeah, when they're ancient!" Alton bellowed, splashing Curt back. "Are you telling me you're really a hundred years old? Because I'm pretty sure you're only 22, oh wise elder!"

"Don't get smart with me, I can put you over my knee and spank you for that!" Curt snorted.

"Yeah right!"

"Watch me!"

"Guys!" Inga called, her face alight with laughter. "You could just get out of the water."

A sudden tidal wave soaked her as both Curt and Alton splashed her at once. She let out an indignant howl and dove into the water after them, sending freezing water into their faces.

"All right, who invited the girl- ow!" Curt shouted when Inga punched him rather hard on the shoulder. "You've got quite a left hook."

"Try growing up with 2 brothers and not developing the ability to keep them at bay." Inga retorted gleefully.

"Yeah, yeah. I see why you like her so much, Al." Curt poked Alton in the stomach. "You should marry her."

"Ew, no!" both Inga and Alton shouted in unison.

"She's like my sister!" Alton shook his head profusely. "Never going to happen."

"Not ever." Inga agreed.

"Nope. Sorry sweetie, but you're getting married to the great Fearless Finn Haddock." Alton teased.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Inga shrieked, shoving Alton away from her and into slightly deeper water.

"Never!" Alton splashed her in the face as a retort.

"Ah ah!" Curt thrust his arms out to separate the two. "Don't make me play peacemaker, it's not really my thing."

"I will never marry that pigheaded jerkface! Ever!" Inga yelled over Curt's words. "How dare you say that to me!"

"Inga and Finn sitting in a tree-" Alton began before being shoved under the water by Inga. He came up laughing and continuing his chant.

"I'm just going to let you two handle this then." Curt rolled his eyes and tried to swim away.

"Oh no you don't!" Alton grabbed his brother's arm. "You started it, you're going to finish it!"

"Leave me out of your domestic squabbles." Curt had nearly made it to the shore before he lost his balance and fell back into the pond. "All right, that's it!"

And with that, the three of them spent a fun afternoon splashing and antagonizing each other at the pond. All in all, a very typical day.

Erick couldn't remember the last time he had felt this carefree. Except when he had to spend mornings and evenings at home with his mom, brother, and sister-in-law, life was pretty good. When he wasn't working he spent most of his free time with Taryn and Aud and Curt, and the more frequently he did, he found himself smiling and laughing more than he had since before his father's death.

He couldn't deny the fits of loneliness that would plague him on sleepless nights or quiet days in the shop. He reasoned that he had no reason to feel lonely since he'd been surrounded by loving people for countless months now. But he knew that deep down, he wasn't happy. Not really.

Time at home was painful. Memories of his childhood with his father sitting at the head of the table or in his favorite chair in the living room bombarded him at random times, piercing his heart like a cold dagger. His mother's constant harping and brother's interminable, condescending attitude of ill will toward him combined forced him into his room or out the door on a constant basis.

Was it so much to ask to just feel wanted? To feel loved like everybody else? He felt selfish for thinking it. Was it wrong to think that way? He told himself it wasn't wrong to want something so necessary so badly, but he figured if he voiced such thoughts aloud, he'd surely be reprimanded for being a proud, selfish-

Erick dropped his work tools in a huff and buried his face in his hands. He couldn't deny the pain or the sadness that still lingered. No matter how hard he tried and no matter how happy his girlfriend and sister and brother-in-law made him, he couldn't hide from the pain under the surface. It always came back in the quiet moments. The problem wasn't anyone but himself. His inner demons continually tried to claw themselves to the surface, as if testing him to see how he'd react. He didn't want to react. He wanted to live and breathe like a normal teenager, forget the hurt, the pain, and the past.

Was that so much to ask?

"Erick?"

Erick sat up with a long sigh, ignoring Horst looming in the doorway. He picked up his seam ripper and continued on the saddle lying on his desk.

"What's wrong?"

Erick suppressed another sigh. "'m fine."

"No, you're not. You've been quiet all day." Horst stepped inside the workspace and stood beside the desk. Gentler, he asked again, "What's wrong?"

Erick pursed his lips, threading a needle and trying to drown out his bosses' words—hard to do in dead silence. He began sewing for another silent minute before the thoughts swirling in his mind couldn't be help back any longer.

"I have a great girlfriend. My oldest brother and two sisters make sure I'm doing okay on a frequent basis, especially Aud. I shouldn't wish for more than that because I am loved." Erick scowled at the saddle as if it was the inanimate object's fault for making him feel so terrible. "So why do I still feel lonely?"

Horst was quiet for a few minutes. If Erick hadn't known Horst to be a quiet consultant who weighed every word, he might have thought he'd tuned out.

"I think," Horst began in even tones. "What you're feeling is normal. It's natural to want love and attention from those closest to you. Or who should be."

The blond set down his work with a huff. He stared at the wall for a few quiet minutes before shaking his head. "What I wouldn't give for my mother to not hate my guts. I wouldn't ask for her to wait on my every need and be… I don't know, go out of her way to make me feel special, but for her to be at least pleasant?"

Erick shook his head again and began to sew again. "I don't ask for much, or anything really. I simply walk in the room and I'm a burden."

"Your mother has always been strong-willed and headstrong. Not always the nicest person to get along with." Horst commented. "That's why she was a great match for your father. His carefree, come-what-may attitude combined with her stubborn, go-get-'em lifestyle, they accomplished much in their life together." Horst took note of Erick's glare, wondering if the leather might melt at any second. "Your mother always had a plan and as long as things went accordingly, she was always in her best mood. If things didn't, well… it always has taken her a long time to come to terms with things she didn't plan for."

"So in summary, I ruined her life." Erick bit out.

"No." Horst bent down and stopped Erick's hands. The teen exhaled heavily and put the tools down again. "You sew any faster, you'll sew your own fingers together. No. Can you imagine losing your best friend after so many years of close marriage?"

"…no."

"No." Horst smiled gently. "I know it's difficult and it's hard and you're trying. I know you're fed up and granted, she could try a lot harder. But give her the benefit of the doubt in some cases. She misses him as much as you do. Maybe even more."

Erick nodded numbly, staring at his lap. He wanted to respond but suddenly his mind was blank. Was his mother's constant animosity toward him a result of his father's death? He couldn't honestly remember what life was like, aside from having a dad and a best friend with whom he spent every waking moment.

"Thought I'd be over it by now," Erick mumbled at last. "The older I get, the worse it feels."

Horst smiled sympathetically and squatted beside the teen to look him in the eyes. "Did I ever tell you that I had a twin sister?"

Erick blinked and stared at him in surprise. "You did?"

Horst nodded. "She was my best friend. We spent every waking moment together since we were babies, literally." They chuckled lightly.

Erick dreaded his next question. "What happened to her?"

Horst's smile slipped off his face but he held Erick's gaze. "Fishing accident. She drowned when we were twelve."

The air sucked out of Erick's lungs. "What?"

Horst nodded gently. "I know you can imagine the shock and terror. The aftermath. The sleepless nights. I…" The man looked away for a moment, suddenly scrambling for composure. Erick was at a loss. He'd never seen his mentor like this, not once in his entire life. Horst breathed a laugh. "What I'm trying to say is… well, look at me. All these years and I still can't talk about her without choking up."

Erick nodded in understanding.

"The pain… won't ever go away. It's going to hurt and it's always going to be there. But you must allow things and people to come into your life that will dull that pain. You mustn't let yourself focus on it, not to the point that you never think about it. It's good to remember sometimes, but not the bad things. The good things. Treasure the good times you had with him, and…" Horst paused. "Treasure the times you have with people now. We don't know how long we have. Love your mother, even though she may not act like she loves you. She's still here and deep down, she does love you. It just… may take some time for her to show it."

Erick nodded again, at a complete loss. The back of his throat hurt from holding back waves of emotion. He wanted to cry. "Why… why haven't you told me any of this before?"

Horst smiled and patted his shoulder. "You know me. I always wait for the opportune moment."

"So…" Erick paused. "That is good advice… and I'll try to use a different perspective at home with it. But… what about outside of home with… others?"

"Adrianna?"

"Hypothetically."

Horst chuckled. "Ah… I will say the same thing: treasure people while they're here. We don't know how long we have. Why should we spend all of our waking moments bitter against each other? Would you want to spend the rest of your life knowing that you didn't apologize or didn't accept an apology, or didn't take the opportunity to apologize? However you want to look at it, what if…" Horst paused, seeming to consider his words carefully before continuing. "And truly, Asgard forbid it… what if Adrianna passed away tomorrow? You'd live the rest of your life wishing that you'd taken advantage of the time, wouldn't you?"

Erick felt his young, small world narrow to a single point. "Wow… yeah. Yeah, I would."

"Then you know what you have to do." Horst smiled as he stood. "Ugh these old knees can't handle that much longer. All right, get outta here."

"Huh?" Erick looked out the doorway in surprise. "It's already evening?"

"Yup! Amazing how fast time goes when you ask for my advice."

Erick snorted. "Wise old goat."

"Unless you'd like to work overtime-"

"Nope! Ha ha, no. I'm outta here." Erick grabbed his satchel as stood, resolving to finish the saddle in the morning. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right, laddie."

Erick paused in the doorway. "Horst? Um… thanks."

Horst beamed and nodded. "Anytime."

Erick trotted out the front door and started toward Aud's house. While he walked, he considered Horst's advice. He thought about his mother and Nikolas… cornering them to talk about their differences would be very difficult. He figured he'd need more time with them. But Adrianna… Horst's words had struck a chord deep inside his chest.

They had a lot of differences and misunderstandings, but at the core, they were so trivial. What if something did happen to her and he'd never asked forgiveness? He didn't know if he could live with himself. The thought made him sick to his stomach!

However, he knew her to be busy at the moment—it was dinnertime after all. She was probably spending time with Brandyn anyway. He didn't know how he'd get her away from that guy just to talk for a few minutes, or heck, how she'd respond if she even wanted to talk to him.

But he had to try. He resolved in his mind to find her the next day somewhere, sometime. Even if she didn't want his apology and didn't accept him, he had to try.

Erick finally arrived at Curt and Aud's house a few minutes later, his mind in a whirl of thoughts and emotions he hadn't felt in a long time. He didn't know what exactly it was about his conversation with Horst, but something had lit up inside that seemed to set his nerves on edge.

He threw the door open and tossed his satchel on a bench. "Hey… guys." He paused in surprise at Taryn sitting beside her brother at the table as Aud bustled around the kitchen. "Hey, didn't know you were here."

Taryn snorted. "You just walked in the door."

"You know what I meant." Erick rolled his eyes as he took the chair beside her.

"You looked excited when you came in." Aud commented. "Care to share?"

"I… Well, I was talking to Horst and he gave me some good advice, and I'm kinda… I don't know if I'm excited or freaking out, but whatever it is, I haven't felt like this in… ages."

Curt laughed. "Soooo what wise advice did he give you?"

Erick glanced at Taryn, wondering how she'd take this. "Well… we were talking about mom and stuff, and… Adrianna…" He glanced at Taryn, who's expression hadn't changed. He plowed forward, "Anyway, Horst said we don't know how much time we have with people so it's good to make amends while we can. Basically."

"Soooo you're going to talk to Adrianna?" Aud asked as she chopped some lettuce.

"I…" Erick's stomach lurched and he suddenly felt sick. "Oh gods…"

"You're going to?" Taryn asked, excitement in her voice.

Erick raised an eyebrow. "You're… okay with this?"

Taryn raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "You're not asking her on a date, right?'

"No! Of course-"

"I've been wanting you to talk to her for ages. Of course I'm okay with this!"

"Okay… good. T-that's… wonderful." Erick stuttered. He realized he was rapping his knuckles on the table top and froze. He was actually going to talk to her. He was going to apologize to Adrianna and hope that she'd forgive him. And maybe, just maybe they could be friends again. His stomach lurched again and he took a deep breath. "Oh boy…"

Curt laughed. "Are you okay? You look like you just lost a pint of blood."

"I'm fine, just…" Erick bit his lip. "I haven't talked to her normal in…" He shook his head. "Maybe I shouldn't, I'm terrified."

"Terror is good, man, you'll be fine. Your nervousness will show her that you're taking it seriously."

"Think so?"

"Yup. Being all swag and comfortable and confident wouldn't make your apology sound very legitimate."

"True."

Aud hustled over with a pan of meatloaf, a basket of rolls, a jug of lemonade, and a handful of silverware. How she was able to carry it all without dropping anything was a mystery. "You'll do fine. She's as stubborn as any Haddock would be, but she'll come through."

"Mmm…" Erick hummed.

"Don't worry about it too much." Taryn took his hand.

Erick frowned. "You're enjoying this."

"I haven't seen you worked up about something like this before, of course I'm enjoying this."

"Oh hush up and eat your meatloaf."

It felt like a full house. Adrianna sat in the living room chair with a book, Finn was laying spread eagle on the couch, but upside down with his head dangling close to the floor while he sharpened a knife (a feat that was probably not so smart), and Astrid continued sewing a pair of trousers at the kitchen table. Toothless snoozed near the fireplace, wrapped in a ball as the flames heated his scales.

Hiccup glanced around the big room, reveling in everyone's closeness and pleasant attitudes. Just sitting in the quiet of each other, nobody arguing or nitpicking or bickering. He had to enjoy it while it lasted because who knew when it would happen again?

Focusing back on his prosthetic, he grabbed a mini wrench and tweaked the inner screws, sending a metallic creak through the quiet space with every turn. It thankfully wasn't a grating sound; he'd hate to interrupt the silence with something obnoxious.

By the fireplace, Toothless' head snapped up with wide eyes. Hiccup focused on him immediately. "Toothless?" Astrid was the next to eye him in concern. The twins continued in their activities without batting an eye.

The Night Fury stood and his eyes narrowed to slits, a low growl coming from his throat as he went to the window. Hiccup quickly strapped on his leg and walked to the window himself, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Darkness enveloped everything, as it was nearing ten at night. Nothing seemed out of place, but his dragon very obviously sensed something wrong. He began to consider if a burglar was stupid enough to attack his home with a Night Fury inside, when a loud growl was heard in the air, followed by a bright light. A flash of wings disappeared from view before Hiccup realized what was happening.

"Hiccup-"

"GET DOWN!" Hiccup turned and tackled Astrid to the floor just as a fireball exploded just outside the window, sending shards of glass and wood flying. Adrianna screamed and covered her face with her book as Finn flipped to the other side of the couch.

Hiccup and Astrid crouched on the ground as Toothless roared out the now blown-out window. Roars and screeches echoed from the outside, and it was apparent what was happening. Hiccup ran to Adrianna and picked large pieces of glass off of her. She surprisingly didn't slap him away. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." She nodded. "what's going on?"

"Raid! Astrid, get in the air. Finn, stay here and protect Addie."

"What- I can help!

"-don't need protecting from this oaf!"

"Both of you stay here! That's an order!" Hiccup shouted as he ran outside, Toothless already crouched to take off. They took off and were joined in the air by Astrid and Stormfly seconds later. With a quick glance, their house seemed to be fine—only the one blast seemed to take out the west side window and char the outside. It could have been much worse.

"They're attacking the west side of the village!" Astrid yelled over the wind. Hiccup glanced down to see other riders in the air, taking down attacking wild dragons as they went. He spotted Snotlout and Fishlegs among them.

"Let's just hope they're here for the sheep. Lets go!" Hiccup shifted Toothless's tail into position and zoomed forward.

Laughter bubbled through the house as Curt made impressions of different people, like Snotlout or Horst or Bucket. The dishes had been cleared away hours ago and the two teenagers should've gone home long ago, but they enjoyed Aud and Curt's company too much. Erick reveled in his girlfriend's laughter and was pleased to realize his sadness from that afternoon seemed to disappear. He forced himself not to think about when it might come back.

"I'm not related to you!" Taryn managed through her laughter. "I don't even know you."

"So that explains why we have the same nose, hair and-"

"You have the same nose hair?" Aud asked.

"No!"

"Ugh that's repulsive!" Taryn cried.

Aud grabbed the sibling by their ears. "Here, let me see!"

"No get away from me!"

"Aud, I need my right ear, it's very important!"

Erick snickered. "As opposed to your left ear?"

"Shut up Larson!" Curt finally swatted his wife's hands away. She stuck her tongue out, to which he rolled his eyes. "So childish."

"So whiny."

Taryn sighed. "Here we go again."

"Someday, my dear, you too will marry someone, and I just hope you have just as much teasing each other like we do." Aud leaned close to Curt and rubbed her nose against his, making her husband smile wide. He glanced at the blushing Erick and wagged his eyebrows.

"Gods, this is so weird." Erick covered his eyes.

Taryn poked him. "It could be worse."

"Don't encourage them!"

Curt snickered as he stood. "No worries, we won't let things get too crazy. We'll wait til after you leave."

"Oh geez…" Erick sighed.

Curt laughed as he trekked up the stairs. "I'll be right back. I'm going to put on a lighter shirt. It's hot in here."

Taryn stretched. "I should probably go home soon anyway."

"Yeah," Erick frowned. "I'll walk you home."

"Mkay."

The teens noticed Aud smiling at them warmly and Erick raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Aud shrugged. "Oh nothing. I was just thinking."

"About?" Taryn prompted.

Aud bit her lip as she glanced toward the stairs. "Oh… Erick asked a few weeks ago when we'll be having kids. And-"

"Oh my gods, are you pregnant?!" Taryn gasped.

"No!" Aud laughed. "No… but we're trying."

Erick nodded once with finality. "Thanks for the… um… notification? Good luck?"

The girls chortled as he buried his face in his hands again. "Sometimes Erick-"

"Whaaat? What do you expect me to say? Let me know how it goes? Have fun? Seriously, is this what you women talk about-"

"No, of course not!" Taryn blushed scarlet.

Aud's laughed into her hand. "You guys are-"

A loud boom erupted from somewhere outside and all mirth disappeared from the room. "What was that?" Taryn asked.

The trio stood and walked toward the door. Aud called up the stairs, "Curt, what was that?"

"I don't know," He replied from the bedroom. "We should probably-"

They never heard the rest of Curt's response.

Loud, maniacal roars were heard outside with increasing volume before it happened. A surging heat could be felt as orange light began to glow outside the windows. And then, the windows exploded as dragon fire rained down from the sky. The force of impact rocked the structure to its core, throwing all its occupants to the floor with furniture, broken wood and glass. Fire raced up the wood columns, curtains and it was only a matter of seconds before the entire house was on fire.

Erick sat up in a daze, recoiling from the fire burning all around him. He coughed painfully and looked around frantically. "Taryn?!" He heard heavy coughing nearby and scrambled to his knees, crawling toward her. "Taryn!"

"Erick, I'm stuck!"

He finally found her half-pinned underneath a book case. Thankfully it had caught on a fallen chair so its weight wasn't completely crushing her, but just enough where she couldn't move out. Erick quickly got to his feet and lifted a corner of it as hard as he could, trying not to inhale the smoke. Suddenly he found the weight of it lessen and realized Aud was lifting the other corner. Taryn gasped when the book case lifted off of her and quickly scrambled out. Aud and Erick dropped the bookcase and crouched beside her, avoiding the smoke.

"Can you walk?" Aud yelled over the wreckage.

"I don't know!" Tears brimmed in Taryn's eyes. "My knee's twisted!"

"Let's get her up, come on!" Aud and Erick each lifted her underneath her arms and managed to hobble to the door, which was only half-burning. Another explosion rocked the foundation and the women screamed, Aud with determination. Erick managed to kick the door open and they stumbled outside, the blast of cold night air painfully filling his lungs. They carried Taryn far away from the wreckage and gently sat her down. They stayed low and watched in horror at what was happening.

Dozens upon dozens of wild dragons seemed intent on torching the village and stealing the livestock. Many council members and villagers could be seen both in the air and on the ground, trying to douse fires and protect their village.

Erick panted heavily, staring back at Curt and Aud's-

He froze. Curt was still inside. Aud stood there as if waiting for him to come running out. He didn't.

"Aud…" He breathed, but she was already staring back at the house. "Aud, don't- DON'T!"

Aud took off toward the house, running faster than he would have expected. He tore after her, ignoring Taryn's screams for him to stay. A few people yelled at them to stop, to stay away from the wreckage, but Aud kept running. Erick knew Aud to be the most stubborn of the Larson children. He knew she wouldn't stop until she had rescued her husband from the flames.

Aud slammed into the front door, torrents of flames erupting when the oxygen hit. She disappeared inside and from Erick's sight. Erick jumped onto the porch to follow when a large section of the roof crumbled, slamming toward the doorway. Erick lurched to the side, trying to dodge. The heat blistered his skin and threatened to catch his clothes on fire, but he still tried to claw his way to the doorway, only partially clear now.

Suddenly, strong arms grabbed him and yanked him back. Erick thrashed and struggled, but the man still dragged him away from the house. Erick finally noticed the Night Fury standing a few feet away and realized who the man was.

"Hiccup, it's Aud and Curt, they're trapped inside! We have to help them!"

Hiccup finally shoved himself in front of Erick and thrust him backwards. "I know, but I won't let you in there yourself-"

"WATCH OUT!"

Erick watched in near slow motion as a large fireball from a wild Gronckle whizzed by and erupted between the neighboring houses. The force of the explosion knocked everyone off their feet, even Toothless. He turned in time to see the last of the foundations give way, and the house crumbled from top to bottom in a raging inferno.

Erick's ears buzzed and his chest burned from the smoke. He scrambled to his feet, kicking up dirt and sprinted toward the house. Again, Hiccup appeared out of nowhere and blocked his path. Erick slammed into him, trying to get to the wreckage. Aud was still in there, they had to find her!

"Hiccup, let me go! We have to get her!"

"Erick stop-"

"They're stuck inside, Hiccup, you have to let me go-"

Hiccup struggled with the teen, using every ounce of his strength to keep him back. "I can't!"

"Hiccup PLEASE, they're trapped inside!"

"ERICK! NO!" Hiccup finally shouted, his strength winning over Erick's.

Erick's knees buckled, his hand outstretched behind Hiccup toward the house where his sister and brother-in-law burned alive. "Aud… Aud…" Erick cried, his eyes finally filling. He struggled again, trying to move forward. Hiccup wouldn't budge. Erick's voice cracked, "Please, Hiccup!"

"I'm sorry." Hiccup whispered in his ear, clutching him to his chest. "There's nothing else we can do."

"No…" Erick cried, burying his face in Hiccup's shoulder. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening, no, this was all a sick, twisted dream!

"Aud! NO!"

Lara. His mother.

"No!" Lara wailed, crumpling to her knees. "Not my sweet Aud!"

Erick felt a wave of hysteria choke him. He shoved it down. Aud wasn't gone, she couldn't be! His mother, the strongest, toughest woman in the world wasn't sobbing ten feet away, Hiccup wasn't holding him tightly, his sister's home wasn't burned to the ground, and Aud. Wasn't. Gone.

Erick shook himself out of Hiccup's arms and stood up, staring at the flames blankly. He dug his fingernails into his palms hard enough to cut, and the image didn't disappear. Smoke billowed through the night sky, flames crackled, wood popped… this was real.

Erick stepped away with increasing speed, ignoring Hiccup as he tried to grab his arm. He rammed into someone from behind, whirling around to see Horst.

"Hey hey," Horst held out his arms. "Erick, no, this isn't your fault, it was an acc-"

"She's gone." Erick whispered, hysteria taking over as he grabbed his hair. "Aud's gone, she went back inside and I couldn't stop her, I didn't stop her, why didn't I stop her? This isn't happening, tell me this isn't happening!"

"Erick." Horst wrapped the boy in his arms and felt him trembling. "This isn't your fault. It's not your fault."

But Erick wasn't listening. He couldn't hear anything. He could barely breathe. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the blazing wreckage that used to be his sister's house.

It had to be three in the morning and as was typical at that hour, the Haddock house was silent. But not because anyone was sleeping.

Finn quietly sanded some boards to fix the window in the morning. He'd get some glass from the forge too. He glanced up at Adrianna sitting on a chair nearby, her face red and puffy from crying. His parents sat on the couch, his mom wrapping his dad's left forearm and hand, which was covered in blisters and burns from the fires.

They'd returned home at least an hour ago, but both were so quiet it took a lot of patience of Finn's end to wait until they'd spill the news. Curt and Aud Brand were gone, their home burned to the ground. Erick and Taryn had barely gotten out in time. There were many injuries across the village, especially on the west side. Most injuries were severe burns. There were few deaths, but nobody was celebrating.

Wild dragons didn't raid the village very often. They hadn't done that on a frequent basis since his parents were teenagers. But that didn't mean that wild dragons didn't sometimes decide to make an entrance.

Astrid finished wrapping Hiccup's hand and sat quietly, taking his other hand. Finn took a minute to watch his father blankly stare at the floor. Normally, he wouldn't care about people's feelings and emotions, especially his dad. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that his father hated funerals. Of course, nobody liked funerals. However, he suspected that his mother's early death, father's sudden death, and… other deaths in the family… well, funerals were definitely despised.

Now he had to perform a pyre for two young people who were very active in the community and very nice people. Even Finn knew how awesome Curt Brand was and his wife Aud Larson Brand was downright amazing. She get right up in a guy's fight and take them all down with one hand. She was awesome! Not to mention her cooking skills.

Finn pursed his lips, knowing his reasons were stupid by comparison. He felt bad for Erick, witnessing his sister's death after he watched his father die a few years prior. This is why he didn't get close to people.

Astrid broke the silence in a small voice. "You did everything you could."

Hiccup reached up and rubbed his eyes. He exhaled heavily. "Of all families…" Astrid nodded. "Of all kids…"

"Is he okay?" Adrianna asked timidly. "Erick?"

Hiccup's gaze didn't leave the floor. "He was going back inside to get her. I wouldn't let him."

"Yeah, but is he okay?"

"What do you think, Adrianna?" Hiccup's head shot up, making the three jump. He stared at her with an angry expression. "If you had lost me to sickness, and then watched Finn go inside to save your mom from a fire, and then burn to death when the roof collapses, would you be okay?"

Astrid set her hand on Hiccup's arm to calm him. Adrianna stared at him with tearful eyes. "No. I wouldn't."

Hiccup nodded, but calmly replied, "Then why are you asking me that?"

Adrianna shrugged. "Stupid question."

"You want my advice?" Hiccup asked. "Give him a few days and go see him. Put away the stupid pity party and be his friend. Gods know he's going to need one."

"He's got Taryn-"

"Whose brother is…" Astrid clued in.

Realization dawned on Finn. Curt was also Taryn's brother. "Gods…"

Hiccup looked at Finn. "I know. Two families… I don't know which one is going to need more help. I don't want to be biased and say the Larsons-"

"We'll work it out." Astrid interrupted. "Both families will have all the support they need. But I think that's enough talking for one night. We should all get to bed."

The twins sat there for a few more moments before Finn stood. He brushed past his dad, pausing for a moment. He felt like he should say something but nothing came to mind. Nothing that wasn't cliché or that he wouldn't hear enough of anyway. He wasn't one for encouragement to begin with. That was getting too close and personal, too lovey-dovey, too touchy feely for his nature. Someone else would have wiser words.

With that thought in mind, Finn tromped up the stairs, ignoring the sadness he felt inside and went to bed, forcing himself to think happy thoughts. But try as he might, the images of licking flames sizzled through his subconscious, accompanied by the quietest echoing whisper wafting through his head as if it were an empty chamber.

"Fortis."

Strong. Finn would need to be strong to survive this. He would need to show that what had happened didn't affect him at all. He would have to push aside his weak feelings and work to repair the village until he couldn't work anymore. Now was the time to prove what kind of leader he was, to not allow the emotions to overtake him as they had overtaken his father. As he grasped his necklace in his fist, he shut his eyes and allowed himself to stew in his determination, to let go of the anguish he felt bubbling up like bile. Only the strong could survive.

If you can believe it, we've planned this for quite a while now. I feel obligated to tell you that we had this all in mind before either of us saw Big Hero 6 so we are not actually copying any ideas.

As EmmerzK said at the beginning, the reason for the delay was due to a variety of unforeseen circumstances and a bit of procrastination (though I'm one to talk: I did the whole Alton and Inga section right after she sent her bit so technically I delayed it even more). Hopefully, though I cannot promise anything, that will never happen again.

The job search has gone okay and I may have a new job. I also have started my novel and I need a few people to proofread, provide ideas, and generally tell me if it's any good. PM me for details. I know a fair amount of you said you'd read a novel by me so I won't give away too much but there are some similarities to Growimg Up Haddock but a lot of new things too.

Don't forget to review!

~KateMarie999

P.S. I did what I should have done ages ago and posted a poll on my profile. Vote for your favorite twin pairing there! I want to know where my readers stand.