This time, it was quieter when Dagur went to the therapy session room. It almost disturbed the redhead how quickly people could forget about someone they saw every day for years. It was unsettling. If he wanted to, he could forget that Ryker had existed. Apparently, everyone else had. No one seemed on edge or remorseful. He did not like the deceased man either, but it was a little depressing to see that no one even acted as though something had happened. When he and Gobber entered the room, he glanced at the door.

"Hey, Doc," he greeted. "Either people have really bad memories, or Rykie was even less popular than I thought he was."

"It could also be attributed to the fear people are feeling when they think of what might happen if they make a scene."

"Fair point. I could see a lot of them being spooked out."

Gobber nodded as he unlocked the cuffs. "Most of them are, but it sometimes makes it easier to weed out the shifty ones. There should only be a few underhanded officers left." He patted the inmate on the shoulder. "I'll be back to get you. See you then, Doctor."

"See you then," Farid returned, smiling.

Dagur sat down and a scowl covered his face. "Speaking of shifty people, Viggo came back here yesterday."

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"He claimed that it was to play chess, but he wanted to figure me out."

"What happened?"

"He won." Dagur gave him a thumbs down. "It would've been fun if I'd won, but he's a really good player. I'll give him that. It's probably for the best that he won as much as I hate to admit it because he really thinks I'm an idiot now. The whole game was spent trying to see how much I could process."

The young man's face began to twitch. His hand clenched into a fist, then it slammed down on the table and he snarled.

"He practically bragged that he killed my dad! Told me all about these poisonous oleander flowers and other herbs that no one knows can kill them until it's too late and how Dad learned a whole lot about them during their last chess game. Totally not suspicious."

Farid's eyes widened in surprise. "There might be a way to get him on a murder charge then. That sounds premeditated, so it would be first degree."

Dagur appeared skeptical. "Good luck with that. He doesn't seem like a guy who's going to leave tracks behind wherever he goes. If he thought there was a way to trace the murder back to him, I don't think he would've risked telling me even if he didn't think I was smart enough to know what he meant. The officers can pursue it, but I doubt they'll get very far."

Dagur got quiet, looking at his hands. When he glanced back up at the psychologist, he seemed both concerned and angry.

"When he said that, I wanted to punch through the glass and bring his face down on all the shards so that he wouldn't even recognize himself if he looked in the mirror." He paused. "And that's just because the glass was there. I wanted it to not exist at all so that I could rip out his throat." Dagur let out a sigh. "I'm not supposed to feel this way anymore. I'm trying to be less violent, but he's making it difficult."

"You received distressing news, Dagur. Most people become enraged when they hear of something happening to loved ones. Don't look at this as a step back. If anything, it should show your progress that you did not act on those feelings."

The client began to look less upset. "Yeah, I guess that is a pretty good thing. I know if I'd heard that a couple years ago…or even last year, I'd have definitely lost control." Dagur sat up straighter in the chair and he puffed up slightly. "I have to keep getting better so that I can hang out with Heather and my new buddies one day. Also so that Mala and I can have fun when she comes by."

"When Mala comes by, huh? I heard that she came to visit a couple of days ago. You didn't mention that."

Dagur shrugged. "I guess it's just because I was still trying to figure out more of my feelings with it." He tilted his head and glanced at the table. "She was worried about me after hearing what happened to Ryker. She doesn't want me to be next. She even hugged me when I got in here. That's the first time that's happened. I liked it."

Putting a hand to his mouth, the redhead's brows furrowed in thought. The crease in his forehead gradually faded.

"I think I like her," he said. "I mean, a lot. It seems stronger than the crush it was before. I really like her, Doc. I…I'm not used to that. It's weird."

Farid gave him a warm smile. "There's nothing weird about having those feelings."

"It doesn't seem right, especially not when it involves Mala."

"Why doesn't it?"

"She's a police captain. I'm a murderer. I've heard opposites attract, but we might be pushing it a bit. She'd probably get forced to step down or something if we even went out on a date."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I can't, but even if that doesn't happen, why would she want to be seen with me? Why be with me in that way at all? She could get anyone she wanted. She's probably just coming here because no one besides a few people has to know and there aren't any romantic connotations to the visits. But," he added thoughtfully, "she didn't seem against the idea of us going out. She might not mind it. I'm not sure. People would probably give her funny looks if we dated. They might even talk about her."

"Do those people matter?"

"I guess not. As long as she's happy, I'd be happy too." He ran a hand through his hair and laughed. "I'm getting ahead of myself. She gave me one hug and I'm thinking about love. I don't even know if she just meant we'd be hanging out as friends. She'd definitely be the prettiest friend I have, though."

Farid set down his notepad. "What if you told her how you felt?"

Dagur's eyes widened. "Told her? I couldn't do that. If it made her uncomfortable, then all the other visits would be awkward or she'd just send someone else in her place which would be even worse."

"You don't know if she'd be uncomfortable by that. Also, you can word it in a way that respectfully reveals your opinion. It would let her know that you have no intention of making things seem odd even if she does not return the feelings."

"You really think that would work?"

"I've seen a lot of people not have a mutual attraction, but when respect is there, they can still be friends."

"That's good, but hearing her say that she doesn't like me back sounds like it would sting."

"It might," the doctor admitted, "but you're both in the middle of a dangerous mission. If you never tell her and something happens, you won't know even if the answer would've been that she felt the same. I've found that getting outcomes that aren't favorable is still better than not knowing what might have been."

Dagur hesitated for a moment, then looked at Farid with determination. "I'll tell her. Just wish me luck, will you?"

"Consider it done."

They continued speaking as officers continued their own work. Mala had been correct in her estimation for the arrest. Lars had successfully told them of several operatives, leading the officers directly to where they needed to be to apprehend the criminals. Days passed and more and more, the people being caught realized their numbers were dwindling. Why cover for someone when that person would probably be next? They turned on one another, giving out any information that they could if it gave them a better chance to save themselves. Mala expected little of the criminals, but the extent of their treachery did manage to surprise her. While it did that, it troubled Krogan. With his cloak on his head, he waited in the shadows by the parking lot one evening. He was waiting for his associate. Viggo almost did not see him when he approached, then let out a low sigh.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"We're losing more men every day."

"I told you that your Flyers were too proud–too showy. I knew it would get them caught one day."

"My Flyers aren't the problem. It's your Hunters. They don't know how to keep their mouths shut. They're a lot like their leader."

Viggo's eyes narrowed at him. "Was there a reason you came to speak with me or did you just want to hear yourself talk?"

Krogan felt rage bubbling inside of him. "This is your fault. You trusted that lunatic and the whole operation is coming apart."

"What exactly is Dagur doing while in a cell?"

"Far more than your brother was doing during his time in the operation. In fact, he's doing a bit of everything," the man said, gesturing with his hands. "He's selling drugs, lowering the number of buyers, and probably is working alongside the police as well. He seems to be a jack of all trades."

"He lacks the ability to do that."

"You just think that he does. It was the same with Ryker."

Viggo paused, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"How else do you think officers are suddenly knowing who to go to? He told them about the operatives. He's the only person who would have known who we have on the outside and been so close to the police."

"My brother was a simple, brutish man. He wouldn't have opposed me beyond trying to occasionally gain more control."

Krogan shook his head. "You're too arrogant, Viggo. You refuse to see people as anything besides things you can manipulate. You never see anyone as an equal which is why you'll never know when someone has beaten you."

Vigggo scoffed. "I like to keep my concerns in the realm of possibility. I saw that Ryker was a liability and took care of the problem. If Dagur proves to be ine, I'll take care of that as well. Now, if you don't mind, I have some places I need to be. Do not wait so long before your next visit," he said sarcastically. "They're always so…enlightening."

He walked past the other man and got to his car. Krogan snarled at him, but he suddenly smirked and left Viggo to manage his own business. He did not need to spend any more time there. His work was already done, so he was fine to return to thinking of how he could save the operation. Krogan was far from the only person thinking of the drug ring. At Hiccup's home, he and his friends were discussing the captain's arrests.

"It seems like it's going well," the young man said, petting Toothless's head. "I'm glad it's been working out this way. If Farid didn't get involved, there probably would have been a lot of cops who were still dirty working with Dad and even more people would've been on the streets, selling drugs to anyone they could find."

Heather began smiling. "I'm glad too. Dagur's really been making nice progress. I hope he can get to Farid's clinic when this is over. It'll be good for him. He might even get out into the regular world."

The twins nodded enthusiastically. "And when he does, we get first dibs!" Tuffnut called out.

Ruffnut high-fived him, warranting a head shake from Hiccup.

"He's not a toy, you two. You can't call dibs on a person."

"He's fun like a toy," Ruffnut countered.

"And he already said he'd do stunts with us. We just have to pick a really cool one."

Tuffnut looked at Barf and Belch who were busy trying to eat the back of his shirt. His eyes brightened happily.

"Ooh! Maybe we could involve animals this time. Think T would be up for it?"

"What? No," Hiccup said, concerned. "Whatever you're planning, Toothless isn't going to be a part of it."

"You're no fun," Ruffnut complained.

"I'm sure you'll be able to think of plenty of things with Barf and Belch," Astrid said.

The twins started considering ways to do this as Hiccup looked worried.

"There's a lot more going on than stunts, guys. Dad told me that someone got killed. Ryker Grimborn to be exact."

This got the twins' attention and they stopped formulating ideas to turn to him.

"Ryker's dead?" Tuff asked, shocked. "Are you sure?"

"Of course he's sure," Ruff said, shoving him. Afterwards, her face took on a look of concern, and she glanced at the other sister in the room. "Is Dagur okay?"

"Dad said he was fine. Whoever it was just went after Ryker."

Heather stepped forward, face pale. "But Dagur could be next. If he's replacing Ryker, that puts him in the same position and same amount of danger. He might even be in more because he's helping the captain and everyone else dismantle the operation."

Fishlegs put his hands on her arms, offering some comfort even if it could not do much. Heather gave him a grateful smile.

"He sent me away," she said. "He knew it was getting dangerous and wanted us to stay out of it. I shouldn't have agreed. I know Gobber will try to help, but if they can get to Ryker, they can get to Dagur too."

Astrid approached her friend. "He probably would've just refused to see you if you didn't agree. He didn't want to put you in danger."

Heather felt a little better after this, but she still could not lose the worry. Snotlout crossed his arms pridefully.

"I hope you all realize that I was right from the beginning."

"You were right about what?" Fishlegs asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"About Dagur. I told everybody that I didn't think he killed Oswald."

"No, you didn't."

"Well, I thought it really hard. It's your fault for not being better psychics."

"That's not how it works," Fishlegs said, rolling his eyes.

"It should be. You're just upset because you thought he was a hardened criminal who'd kill whoever was in arm's reach."

A short pause came as Fishlegs glanced at Heather.

"I did. I don't mind admitting that, but I also don't mind admitting that I was wrong. I'm glad that I was. The person I thought he was wouldn't have wanted to help stop the Hunters or anyone else. He just would've forced people to take drugs, taken their money, and probably killed them before even selling anything to them. The person he seems to be now is someone I'd happily get to know."

Astrid came up and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not any different. I thought he was an animal, but I guess I misjudged him. I'm happy about that. I'm always glad to see someone caring about our Heather and keeping a certain Nut out of too much trouble."

Tuffnut laughed and looked content with himself. "He'll probably help us get a lot of new viewers too. I say we title the video 'Inmate by day, daredevil by night.' What do you think?"

Hiccup cringed. "Maybe think of something else."

"Hmm, okay, that was winning in the polls, but I guess we can change it."

A worried look crossed Heather's face. "As much as I think he'd enjoy that, what else will he be able to do when he's out? I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to hire him and that's not even to mention life outside of work. For so long, Berk's seen him as this violent killer. Even if he's officially proven innocent and found clinically sane…or less dangerous at least…will it make a difference? People will probably always treat him like a murderer. He'll never escape his reputation no matter how many drug operations he sabotages."

Hiccup nodded sadly. "You're probably right, which is horrible. People always seem to remember the bad you do more than the good. They even remember the bad that they hear about more than what actually happens." His eyes twinkled with determination. "But that's what friends are for. We can help pick him up when the rest of the world tries to beat him down."

The friends agreed and began thinking of ideas for what Dagur might be able to do as a free man. They spoke and Viggo drove. He was heading to a place to oversee the operation. With so many operatives gone, he was obliged to take on a larger role. It was nothing that he enjoyed. The man would have much preferred to have let the carefully selected people handle such trivial tasks as production and distribution; however, that was no longer really an option. Despite how much he wanted to disregard Krogan's words, he was not sure if he could. Things were changing and going in the wrong direction. Still, Viggo just could not believe that Ryker or Dagur were smart enough to have undermined him. No, they were fools. Both of them. One dead; one soon to be whenever his use ran out. There still was a problem, though, and his name was Krogan. Viggo knew how much he was hated by the other crime boss. He could respect the way he worked. If nothing else, he respected his ruthlessness, but Krogan's threat needed to be taken seriously. The problem that was him needed to be handled. Unfortunately for Viggo, he also was a problem. As he shifted into a different gear, he saw a spark that grew until his entire vehicle was engulfed in flames.