A/N: Wow! What a response from you all. This story jumped from 202 reviews up to 254! That's…astounding! Thank you, really, I don't know what to say…I didn't realize having Hiccup kiss Heather would elicit that kind of response from you all.

I'd love to answer all your questions and concerns regarding this particular plot thread, but I'm afraid doing so would spoil the plot of the story. This chapter, however, should make things a little clearer. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story. I hope you'll forgive me for the delays between chapters, but hopefully I'll be able to post more frequently now. I had to take a step back and reanalyze where the plot was going, but now I'm more confident that it will work out. It's about to start gearing up for the climax: there's only five chapters left to write. I hope as always you continue to enjoy it. :)

So without further ado, on with the show!

Chapter Ten

Conflicted

Needless to say, the village received quite a shock the next day when Hiccup and Heather entered town square hand-in-hand. People stared openly at them as Hiccup walked about the marketplace, doing his weekly shopping for Stoick once again. They both could hardly fail to notice the attention they were receiving, but they tried to ignore the questioning looks and quiet murmurs. Heather felt incredibly self-conscious about it, but she stayed silent for Hiccup's sake, choosing to bear it all in silence as he followed him from cart to cart. As for Hiccup, he'd endured far worse things than a few stares and whispers, so he didn't much care.

"For you," he said as they stood by the fruit-seller's stand, handing her an apple.

She smiled sweetly and replied, "Thank you," as she took the ripe red fruit from his hand. She saw the fruit-seller glance at his wife with an unspoken question in his eyes but pretended not to notice.

Once the shopping was complete, he had to return to the forge, but he invited her to stick around if she wished. She did, and so she watched as he hammered and chiseled and shaped tools of all kinds. She asked many questions, and he answered them all with a smile. She did not annoy him like others did when they interrogated him over the finer points of blacksmithing. Indeed, he found her honest curiosity rather endearing. Gobber kept an eye on his apprentice all day but never said anything about the boy's new amour, for which they were both intensely grateful.

There was only one really awkward moment that afternoon: Astrid stopped by the forge. She alleged it was merely to have her axe sharpened, but as the weapon was in fine shape Hiccup suspected she'd merely wanted to talk to him. At any rate, when Astrid saw Heather hovering outside the fiery heat of Gobber's shop, she froze in her tracks, her eyes widening with surprise and what might have actually been fear. But then she resumed walking, keeping her body stiff and upright. She barely acknowledged Heather and handed her axe to Hiccup. "I'd like to have this sharpened, please," she said in a quiet monotone that he'd never heard her speak in before.

He raised his eyebrows as he observed the state of the blade but nodded nonetheless. "Right away," he said, forcing some cheer into his voice. He wasn't going to let her ruin his relatively good mood. He turned away and busied himself with the chore, all the while feeling her eyes boring into his back. She didn't say a word to Heather the whole time.

When he handed the axe back to its owner, she said, "Thanks," and handed over some money.

In a brave attempt at being friendly, Hiccup asked, "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

She looked up at him so fast he could have sworn he heard her neck pop. Her eyes were alight with a sudden blazing hope. Cursing silently, Hiccup quickly added, "At the Academy?"

"Oh." Her face fell noticeably. "Yeah, I'll be there." Then she left.

Dinner was uncomfortable too. Heather joined the teens at their table again, sitting beside Hiccup. The others didn't seem to know what to make of her presence, but Fishlegs valiantly tried to keep conversation going between them all. Heather participated willingly in the hope that it would alleviate some of the tension she felt surrounding them, and even Hiccup spoke with ease and a smile on his face. Only Astrid did not participate in their discussion, keeping her head down and barely touching her food. Once or twice Hiccup was certain he saw tears swimming in her eyes, and for some reason his chest ached at the sight. He had no idea why, though.

The next day was no less awkward, as Hiccup brought Heather into the Academy for their lesson. Allowing her to sit behind him on Toothless' back, he demonstrated the maneuvers they would be practicing that afternoon. When the Night Fury spread his wings, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist to stay in the saddle. Hiccup smiled but gave no other sign that he noticed. The others, however, all exchanged glances, and Astrid bit her lip and looked away.

After another nearly-silent dinner, Astrid decided she could take it no longer. When Hiccup and Heather excused themselves and left the Great Hall, she stood up to follow them. "Astrid?" Fishlegs hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to Hiccup," she replied without inflection.

"Astrid, don't," Fishlegs cautioned. "Just let him be."

But Astrid ignored him and hurried from the hall.

"I just keep striking out," Snotlout muttered. "First with Astrid and now with Heather. When am I ever gonna find a girl?"

The twins snickered and Fishlegs rolled his eyes. None of them answered him.

Astrid emerged into the gathering night and saw the two lovebirds walking a short distance away, their hands entwined. The sight made her want to break something, but she buried these feelings and jogged over to them. "Hiccup?" she called, and to her credit, she was able to stop her voice from shaking.

He looked around in surprise. "What is it, Astrid?"

"Could I have a word, please?" Then, half-glancing at Heather, she added, "Privately?"

Hiccup frowned suspiciously and looked over at Heather. "It's okay," she said, smiling gently. "You go on. I've got some things to take care of anyway."

Hiccup looked as though he really didn't want to go, but he nodded and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Then he turned and followed Astrid a short distance away, coming to a stop in an alley between two houses. Heather, tiptoeing carefully, hid herself around a corner and listened, a worried frown creasing her forehead.

"What is this about?" Hiccup asked without preamble.

Astrid floundered for a moment. Now that she was alone with him, all she wanted to do was throw herself on him and kiss him and beg for him to come to his senses. But she held these impulses in check and took a deep breath. "Hiccup," she said slowly, "I…I'm worried that maybe…well…don't you think that you might be rushing into this thing with Heather a bit?"

Hiccup raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

Astrid hesitated. "It's just…she's only been here a couple of days and you're suddenly doing everything with her! You shop with her, you work at the forge with her, you eat with her, you ride Toothless with her, you…you even kiss her! Hiccup, you hardly know her!"

"Is there a point to this?" Hiccup asked coolly, crossing his arms.

"Hiccup, she could be playing you false!" Astrid said earnestly. "Have you considered that? Don't you think it's possible that she's just taking advantage of you?"

Hiccup's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't see what she has to gain by being with me, Astrid. I don't really have anything to offer. She's not asking about our dragon training secrets this time. She merely wants to be with me. Is that really so hard to comprehend? I seem to recall you once wanted to date me just for the sake of being with me. Do you think you're the only one who could actually like me as I am?"

Astrid's face flushed. "No, of course not," she huffed. "But this is Heather! Little Miss Innocent, remember? The same Heather that put your brain under siege so she could get what she wanted? Hiccup, she can't be trusted! You know that! She's proven it before!"

A flash of anger went across Hiccup's face. "That's rich, coming from you!" he snapped. "You've proven yourself to be just as cold and untrustworthy. Do I really need to remind you of that?" He pulled back his right sleeve to show her his scar.

Astrid couldn't have looked more shocked if he had slapped her. She was a moment in replying. "I…that's…that's not the point," she stammered.

"Then what is?" Hiccup demanded. "I'll admit she isn't perfect. I remember what she did. But Heather never attacked me directly. She never caused me the kind of pain you did. And besides, she only did it to get her parents back safely from the Outcasts. You caused me much more pain than she ever did, and your reasons were far less noble."

Astrid opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a strangled croak.

"Face it, Astrid," Hiccup went on, "you're simply trying to get between me and Heather so that you can have me all to yourself. Never mind that I don't want to date you anymore. Of course, what I want has hardly ever mattered, has it? You've only been thinking about winning me back, as if I'm some kind of conquest and not a living, breathing human who can think and feel for himself. You haven't changed one bit."

And with that, he pushed past her and reemerged into the darkening twilight. Astrid did not move from her spot for several minutes. She did not even turn to watch him depart. If she had, she might have seen the flicker of sadness that crossed his features, the faint glimmer of guilt that sparked in his eyes. But as it was, she saw nothing.

And then her knees buckled, and she hit the ground sobbing.

He's right, a nasty voice in her head scolded her. He's right about you. You've never once considered that maybe he doesn't love you anymore. Maybe you really did some irreparable damage when you turned your back on him. If so, all your efforts to win him back are in vain. He'll never love you. Never again. And you have no one to blame but yourself. You were so busy thinking about yourself that you ruined your only chance at love. And now it's done and you can't change it…

"Astrid?"

She hiccupped and looked around. It didn't improve her mood to see Heather standing at the entrance to the alley. "Go away," she said with a sniff. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I know," Heather replied, and there was a sad note in her voice that Astrid failed to figure out. "You probably hate me right now. And I guess I can't blame you."

"What do you want?" Astrid asked irritably. "Are you here to rub it in? Well go on, do your worst. You can't possibly make me feel worse than I do now."

"It's not my intention to make you feel worse," Heather said patiently, stepping into the alley and bending down beside her. It was a mark of how distraught Astrid was that she did not react to her presence at all. "Believe it or not, I was actually hoping to make you feel better."

That got Astrid's attention. She looked over at her, frowning. Her features hardened. "There's nothing you can say that can make me feel better."

Heather sighed. "I know you don't like me much, Astrid. Nor do you trust me. And I understand why. I know I did some bad things to you all in the past and that earning your trust is going to be difficult, perhaps impossible."

Her words struck a chord in Astrid, and despite herself, she softened. "What you did isn't nearly as bad as what I've done," she mumbled. Then she looked questioningly over at her.

"Hiccup told me everything," Heather confirmed, nodding.

Astrid sighed. "I figured he must have." She paused for a moment. "Maybe I should put what you did in the past and move on. After all, I've been trying to get Hiccup to forgive me for two months. I guess I'm not setting such a good example if I don't forgive you first."

Heather smiled slightly. "I appreciate your forgiveness," she said. "May I sit down?"

Astrid shrugged. "Sure, if you want."

Heather sat beside her and reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. The spiked shoulder pads were in the way, but Astrid found she didn't much mind the gesture regardless. Silence stretched between them for a few seconds.

Then Heather said conversationally, "You know, I think Hiccup still loves you."

Astrid blinked and looked over at her, her jaw dropping in shock. Her eyes sparked with the barest beginnings of hope. "Really?"

"Yes," Heather confirmed. "You see, I've been watching him since I got here. Whenever he looks at you, something happens in his eyes. I wasn't sure at first because it was gone before I was certain I'd even seen it, but now I'm pretty sure of it. Whenever he sees you, there's a little spark in his gaze, like something in him is stirring and trying to break free. But before it can, something else comes along and pushes it back down. That's why he looks away so quickly. The battle going on inside him hurts him, so he tries to suppress it."

"He loves me?" Astrid breathed. "You really think he still cares about me? Really? Even after everything I did to him he still loves me?"

"I think so," Heather said. "He's still hurting, Astrid, and whenever he looks at you he can't help but remember what he's gone through. But his feelings for you are still in there, buried beneath his pain, anger, and sadness. That's the battle he's fighting. He wants to recognize his affection for you but doesn't want to set himself up for more pain."

"But I would never hurt him again!" Astrid cried. "Never! I learned my lesson! I…I wish I could go back and undo it all and spare him. I wish it with everything I have. I would never hurt him like that again! I couldn't!"

"And I think he knows that," Heather assured her. "Deep down, I think he does. But remember, he's fighting his memories and worst nightmares, and they're powerful. I don't know what it's going to take for him to defeat his demons, Astrid. I wish I did, but I don't. It'll be something pretty big, I'd imagine. It has to be something incredible if it's going to break through all the mess that's suppressing his love."

Astrid slumped down. "Then it's hopeless," she moaned. "I've been trying to win his trust and affection back for two months with no success. What more can I possibly do? And besides…" She couldn't help but huff. "…he's got you now. Soon enough he'll totally forget about me."

But Heather shook her head. "He doesn't love me, Astrid."

"What?" Astrid stared at her. "But…he barely leaves your side these days!"

"I was in the right place at the right time," Heather explained with a shrug. "I was there for him when he needed to get all this off his chest. I'm an outside observer, someone who had no part in what happened to him. So he latched himself to me because he doesn't make any association between me and his pain. That's all there is to it. It's not deep or passionate, like what he has with you…yes, still has, present tense," she added with a faint smile.

Astrid smiled weakly back, but the expression quickly faded. "And…what about you?" she asked, sounding as if she didn't really want to know the answer. "Do you love him?"

Heather hesitated. "I like him, certainly," she said slowly. "But love? I hardly know him, so I don't think I do. Could I come to love him? I definitely think so. He's a great guy: sweet, charismatic, caring, brave, smart, funny…yes, I think I could learn to love him. But…" She elbowed Astrid playfully. "…his heart belongs to someone else, and despite my reputation I would never try to take him away from you. I wouldn't stoop quite that low."

Astrid laughed a bit, a slightly hysterical sound that she quickly silenced, putting a hand to her mouth. Lowering it, she asked, "So what now? Where do I go from here? I know that I can't win him back by pressuring him, and I don't know how to override his fear of being hurt again, so what do I do?"

"My advice," Heather said, "would be to back off for a little while. Let him relax. Right now, every time he sees you he expects you to make a play for his heart and it's driving him insane, so show him that you care enough about him to leave him alone if he so desires. Make sure he knows that you still want to be his friend and that you care about him, but don't press him. Let him figure out a few things on his own. He'll have an easier time remembering his affections for you if you let him breathe whenever he's around you."

Astrid considered this for a moment. Then she said, "I hadn't thought of that. I'll try it." She paused, and then with an awkward murmur she inquired, "And you? What are you going to do?"

"Not much," Heather answered easily. "My parents and I will only be here a few more days, but for that time I'm going to continue seeing him. He could really use this change. It might reawaken his normal desires enough for him to remember his attraction to you. Besides, I think at this point a breakup would crush him, and that's the last thing I want to do. If he wants to continue it after I leave – I understand you all have created something called 'air mail'? – then I'll go along with it. But don't worry, the moment he realizes he still has feelings for you, I'll let him go without any drama."

Astrid breathed an audible sigh of relief, and with complete sincerity she said, "Thank you, Heather. I…I'm so glad we had this talk."

"Me too," Heather replied. "Believe me when I say that I hope everything works out for you."

Astrid didn't respond, but her smile of gratitude was answer enough.

…

The next morning, Astrid approached Hiccup as he worked in the forge. Heather saw her coming first and raised her eyebrows. Astrid met her eyes and nodded almost imperceptibly, and Heather smiled.

Hiccup looked up and stiffened noticeably, but…was she imagining it? Astrid thought she saw that little flicker of something in his eyes that Heather had told her about.

Maybe it's true, she thought hopefully. Maybe he still loves me after all…

"What do you want, Astrid?" Hiccup asked, his voice cold and rather wary.

Astrid held her hands out in a peaceful gesture. "To apologize, Hiccup."

He blinked. He hadn't expected that.

"I've done a lot of thinking about what you said last night," she went on. "And you were right. I've been selfish and there's no excuse for the way I've been acting. When you truly love someone, you put their needs before your own, so…" She nodded. "…I'm going to do just that. Please forgive me for upsetting you. I…" Her voice quivered slightly but she fought to get it under control again. "…I hope you will be happy. Truly."

Then she turned and walked away, keeping her head high even though she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry. Heather might have been right, but it still hurt. Still, she was determined to remain strong, hoping and praying that everything would work out somehow.

Hiccup watched her depart without a word, unable to comprehend what had just happened. In some vague corner of his mind he knew he should be relieved: after all, it seemed as though she'd finally taken the hint and stopped pursuing him. He should have been able to relax and breathe again. He should have been happy.

But as he gazed at Astrid's retreating back, he remained just as confused and troubled as ever before.

A/N: Hopefully that clears up some of your worries. In this story, Heather is quite genuine. I know there's a tendency in fan fiction to play up the conniving side of her character, but I actually rather like her in the TV show and think she's really a good person at heart. So that's the angle I'm playing up with this.

Hopefully the next chapter will be done soon. It's called "Fallout," so as you can imagine it should be fairly intense. I'm looking forward to getting to work on it. Thanks again for the continuing support and patience!