Oh..hey there you guys are! I was beginning to think no one was reading this story! I'm glad that you all enjoyed the last story with Hiccup's proposal to Astrid. In this one…well, all I can say is that there is a baby, but I'm sure you already gathered that from the preview. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Minor HTTYD 2 spoilers in this oneshot. Basically, if you know who Valka is and why she is important, then you're good. That's about as far as it will go.

Review Replies:

Dragonbow117: Thanks! When I wrote those lines, I wasn't actually going for humor, but I can see how they would be funny. Haha.

Shangratiger101: I can say that this one was pretty tough, yeah, but I think it turned out pretty well. Thanks! I'm glad that you like the story.

InfinitiumAce: Yeah, that's something that I'm going for with this one. No major conflict. Just some simple (or maybe not-so-simple, in some cases) Hiccstrid. Thanks!

Lady-Von-Bielefeld: Thank you and I'm sorry for making you wait a whole month for this one!

Girlyoudon'tknow (anonymous): More precisely? I'm not certain I know what that means, but I'll try.

UnbreakableWarrior: Thanks!

lorde (anonymous): As a matter of fact, these stories do follow an order. I know it's surprising, but I like having each of these stories as a set milestone in their relationship.

Hiccstrid4eva: Glad you liked it!

It Was Always You
The Fourth Realization

The ceremony binding Hiccup and Astrid together as one in marriage had gone smoothly with no major catastrophes, surprisingly. Hiccup had expected something to go wrong because that was just his luck, but everything was perfect and he couldn't be happier.

Astrid had adjusted almost instantly to the changes. She had moved into Hiccup's home with her new husband and his mother. Though some wives would not appreciate their husbands' mothers living under their roofs, Astrid was actually glad that Hiccup's mother lived with them. Since returning to Berk, Valka Haddock had opted to live with Hiccup so mother and son could begin to catch up on 20 years of lost time. Over time, Astrid too had come to get to know Valka and the younger woman had come to look up to Hiccup's mother for advice. Astrid had also proved helpful for Valka as she helped to fill in details about Hiccup that his mother had missed out on in her absence.

Valka's advice for both Hiccup and Astrid had proved helpful time and time again, especially during the rocky start of their married life together. Hiccup and Astrid, two of the most headstrong Vikings known to Berk, fought every once and awhile, usually over minor issues that tended to resolve themselves out anyway. Though they had been together for over five years before marriage, new conflicts arose once they were living under the same roof day in and day out.

After a long day of fulfilling his chiefly duties around Berk, Hiccup had returned home on one such night, after he and Astrid had had a minor argument over…Odin knows what; Hiccup had forgotten by that time thanks to being immersed all day overseeing the daily operation of Berk. The house was quiet and Hiccup had been worried that Astrid was still upset. Walking to the table, Hiccup found both ladies there eating dinner…and they had left a plate for him as well. Taking his seat, Hiccup began to eat and waited for either his mother or his wife to say something. Usually one of them would ask about his day, but tonight the typical question did not come.

"You're both quiet tonight," Hiccup chanced. He waited for the pain; if Astrid was indeed still mad at him, even his leather flight suit wouldn't save him from the bruise that would surely form after contact from his wife's fist. Still neither spoke. Gods, this is strange. Why aren't they saying anything? Do they hate me or something? They wouldn't both hate me, would they? "Astrid…you aren't still…mad at me…are you?" Hiccup tried again, hoping to get at least some response from his silent wife.

"No, Hiccup, I'm not mad at you anymore," Astrid replied, but her voice sounded flat to Hiccup's ears. This was not the cheery voice he normally heard Astrid speak. Something was definitely up and Hiccup was determined to find out what.

"Okay, Astrid, what's going on?" Hiccup asked, setting down his wooden eating utensils to give his full attention to his wife. "And don't tell me that it's nothing. I know you better than that."

Hiccup waited for Astrid's answer. He saw her exchange a very brief glance with his mother. What could that possibly mean? He did not have to wait long to find out.

"Hiccup, what I'm going to tell you…it may come as a bit of a…well, a shock, but please don't freak out."

"I won't freak out," Hiccup spoke confidently. "Just please tell me what's going on, Astrid."

"Well…" Astrid began and Hiccup noticed her wringing her hands in nervousness. Astrid never did that! "In several months' time, you will have an heir, Hiccup."

It took Hiccup a moment to process Astrid's words but once he did, the full weight of what she had just told him hit his shoulders, pressing down on him. "Are…Are you sure?" Astrid nodded in response. "Oh…Gods, me…a f-father, I don't think…" Before he could finish, Hiccup's vision went black and he felt a strange sensation of falling.

888

Hiccup blinked away the darkness, slowly at first and then the wooden rafters of the first floor of his house came into view. Pulling himself up to a sitting position, Hiccup tried his best to remember how he had ended up on the floor. "W-What…?"

"Well, you took that better than we expected," his mother laughed as she noticed her son regaining consciousness.

"So much for not freaking out…" Astrid scoffed, but Hiccup could see a playful glint returning in her bright blue eyes. Still, she offered a hand down to Hiccup which he accepted and allowed her to pull him back up to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Astrid. Really, I'm happy with this news, it's just…" he averted his gaze to stare back down to the ground. "I don't know…I guess I'm scared that I won't…"

"Hiccup," Astrid spoke, again gaining her husband's attention. "You said something like this before you became Chief. I remember you telling me that you were scared you wouldn't be a good Chief. Look around Berk and all who live here, Hiccup! The village is better now than in the past. With your help, we rebuilt everything in record time after…well, after you were named Chief. Maybe I'm partial to the thought, but I think you'll end up being one of Berk's best Chiefs ever…and I feel the same could be said for you as a father. Any child would be honored to call you 'Dad', Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

"Well…if you're sure, Astrid…" Hiccup knew better than to argue with his wife; he would never win.

"You bet I am."

888

That night, as Hiccup and Astrid readied themselves for bed, the conversation from earlier resurfaced. Hiccup had been especially quiet and Astrid had taken notice. Now that they were alone, she called him out on his silence.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Hiccup? You've been awfully quiet ever since I told you."

Hiccup sighed. "I just…I don't know, Astrid. I didn't want to say this in front of my mother, but...my dad wasn't the best role model for me as I was growing up. I'm sure you remember how it was before everything changed. I'm just afraid that…you know…that—"

"That you will raise your own child the way your father raised you?" Astrid guessed.

In response, Hiccup nodded. He didn't know what else to say, but he did not have to say more. Astrid understood him and that was just one of the many things he loved about her.

Astrid moved closer Hiccup, pressing down on him so that he took a seat on the bed. Kneeling down so that they were eye-to-eye, Astrid told her husband, "Babe, I stand by what I said earlier. You will be the best father ever to our little Viking. I'm sure you'll make mistakes and I will too, but we'll both learn together. I'm sure it was just hard on your father because he had to raise you alone. I promise that will never happen. I will be right here with you every step of the way and you will be right here with me."

Hiccup smiled, relieved at the reminder that he and Astrid would be experiencing childbirth and parenthood together. Astrid, seeing Hiccup's expression change, stood up. "Now get some sleep, Babe. You have another long day ahead of you."

Laying down, Hiccup waited for Astrid to take her place beside him before blowing out the candle. "Astrid, thank you…for everything," he told her as he drifted off to sleep with a smile plainly present on his serene face.

888

The months passed and Hiccup found himself constantly in a whirlwind of emotion. His mother offered advice and information about what Astrid was going through each and every step of the way, but sometimes it still wasn't enough. There were days when Berk's young Chief still second-guessed himself about the contented feeling Astrid had helped him find on the night she revealed the news about Baby Haddock (they had talked about potential names for the baby, but still found it easier to refer to it as Baby Haddock until it entered the world).

With each passing day, Hiccup was always unsure what to expect. Would Astrid be pleasant that day or should he expect a new bruise to form somewhere on his body? Hiccup could never stay upset with Astrid or his unborn child, though, knowing that the mood shifts were perfectly normal. Sure it wasn't pleasant, but it would all be worth it soon enough.

Hiccup's favorite moments were the nights he could come home and sit with Astrid. Over the months, the baby had continued to grow within her and it was evident now as Astrid's stomach showed, larger and more rounded. It was on these nights that Hiccup was most content to rest his ear lightly against Astrid's stomach and feel his child move within her. No feeling in all the nine realms could ever compare to this. Hiccup would enjoy every calm moment…because he knew that life would get much crazier once the baby entered the world.

888

It was one of the coldest nights of a typical Berkian winter when Astrid woke Hiccup in the middle of the night. Fumbling in the dark, Hiccup looked over in the direction of his wife. "Wazza matter?" he slurred, sleep still clouding his mind.

"Babe…we need to go…the baby…"

This snapped Hiccup awake instantly. "The baby is coming? Are you sure?" Astrid did not reply to him, but hearing the urgency in her movements as she pulled herself up from the bed answered his question. In an instant, he sat up and pulled the upper pieces of his leather flight suit armor from under the bed. As he put on the pieces, he told Astrid. "I'll go with you to the healer's. She'll know what to do."

"Just hurry, Hiccup. The pain…and…your mom said that it would get worse. She told me about it…months ago."

"I'll get Toothless. He can fly us there quicker than if we were to walk there."

Hiccup left reluctantly to find Toothless. The Night Fury was asleep when Hiccup found him and the dragon grumbled unhappily about being woken. Once Hiccup explained the situation, though, Toothless readily agreed to help out his beloved rider.

Sitting in the saddle, Hiccup reached down his hand to help Astrid take a seat in front of him. When they were both safely settled aboard, Hiccup patted Toothless's side. "Take us to the healer's hut, Bud—quickly, but gently, okay?"

Toothless obeyed and it was only a matter of minutes before he touched down in front of the healer's home. Hiccup dismounted first, carefully, and then again helped Astrid down. Together, they entered the healer's home (the old village healer was used to Vikings entering her home for emergencies late at night; it didn't happen often, but it did happen enough not to phase her anymore), but the healer quickly ushered Hiccup out once again when she learned the reason for their visit. Before Hiccup could even protest, the old healer had slammed the door shut.

Turning back from the door, Hiccup knew he might as well just wait; the healer wasn't going to let him back inside until the birthing process was complete. This waiting was going to kill him. He just knew it. He paced around the door as he waited for it to open again and welcome him inside. As he paced, Hiccup muttered incoherent mumblings to Toothless. The dragon was slightly worried by Hiccup's behaviors; Toothless had never seen his rider so nervous.

From inside the hut, Hiccup heard Astrid's screams. He could hear nothing else and the pain in his wife's voice tore an ice-cold spike through his heart. This was his fault. He did this. He was the reason Astrid was in pain right now. Running his fingers through his messy hair, Hiccup continued pacing, his nervous muscles clenching with every minute that passed.

Sometime a little while later, Astrid pained screams were broken by the wailing of a newborn Viking. Hiccup knew what that meant. Soon they would let him back inside and he would be able to see his wife again…and get his first glimpse at his son or daughter. A few minutes later, the wailing died down and silence echoed in Hiccup's ears. How much longer would he have to wait? He was growing impatient.

Finally, when Hiccup was just about ready to barge in regardless of welcomed invitation, the door opened and the healer gave him a small nod, signaling that he could now enter. Once inside, the healer led the way to the bedroom where Hiccup saw Astrid sitting upright in bed. She was wearing clean clothing given to her by the healer. In her arms, she held a swaddled bundle. She was staring intently at the baby in her arms and did not notice Hiccup's approach. The scene was so peaceful that Hiccup regretted breaking it, but Astrid must've heard his creaking prosthetic leg because she looked up and gave him a tired smile.

"We have a son, Hiccup," she spoke simply.

A son! Hiccup stepped closer to the bedside to look down upon the boy that had just made his grand entrance into the world. Kneeling down beside the bed, Hiccup looked, for the first time, into the eyes of his newborn son. The boy had a tuft of auburn hair matching Hiccup's own, but his eyes were the same ocean-blue as his mother's. Could this boy be any more perfect? Hiccup thought not.

"Would you like to hold him?"

Hiccup froze at his wife's question. What could he say? Of course he wanted to hold his son, but he was nervous. What if he messed up everything? No, he couldn't think that way. Astrid had faith in him. He could do this. In reply to Astrid's question, Hiccup nodded and shifted so that his wife could gently place the swaddled newborn into his waiting arms.

The boy's face scrunched slightly at the jostling movement of being shifted from mother to father and, for a moment, Hiccup feared that his son would start to cry. Luckily for the new father, the little boy relaxed when he was safely tucked into his father's arms. Hiccup couldn't help but to notice how his son's eyes shone with eager interest at this new person who now held him.

Hiccup smiled down upon his son before turning his attention back to Astrid. "He's absolutely perfect, Milady." Silence fell upon the small family as there were no words that could be spoken to describe this moment. Slowly, the newborn baby fell asleep in his father's arms and Hiccup held onto his son, not wanting to chance waking the boy by handing him back to Astrid. As he looked down on his son's sleeping face, Hiccup realized something that he had not thought much about but still knew to be true. "It was always you, Astrid. I always knew…well, I'd always hoped, that is, that you'd be the mother of my heir. Sure, there was a time when I doubted that my father would ever name me as his successor, but, when I became Chief, I just knew that, if not for you, I would've let my bloodline die with me. There's no other girl here in Berk or on any of the surrounding islands, or, even, throughout the nine realms that I would've wanted as the mother for my children."

Looking back up to the bed, Hiccup saw that Astrid had, like their son, recently fallen asleep. She probably hadn't heard what he had just said, but that didn't stop Hiccup from finishing his thoughts. "Thank you again for the personal encouragement. It may not always be easy, but somehow we'll get through this. You and me, Astrid, as one."

Well…this one-shot morphed and kinda took on a life of its own. I had not intended for it to be this long! Meh, I didn't really like the ending and it was probably rushed, but if I didn't get this posted now, I'd have to wait until next weekend to do it.

Next one-shot in this series it the last! I need to think about what story I want to post up once I get this one all finished. Anyway…let's end this now…it's already long enough.

Coming Up Next: "The Fifth Realization"—"It Was Always You…My Eternity"

Posted: September 1, 2014