Officers emerged from the forest, weapons pointed after the escaping crime boss. They went after the man as Savage nervously watched. He tried to keep the nervousness off his face.

"I'm glad you got here when you did. He got in front of the van and pointed a gun at me." The man glanced off towards where the others were headed. "I'll go with them to help in the search."

Before he could, Throk lifted his weapon. Automatically, Savage raised his hands up by his head.

"You will remain here," the lieutenant informed him. "You are as guilty as Krogan is. As is your 'friend in the courthouse.'"

Savage's eyes widened and he turned to Dagur. The inmate shrugged with a smirk.

"I might be wearing a little more than usual. A wire if we're being specific."

The officer snarled at him. "You tricked me? I brought you in on this. How could you turn on me?"

"Let's not act like you weren't just driving me out to the middle of nowhere to get killed, Sav. Loyalty doesn't really exist in this operation. Thought you'd know that more than anyone after you stole Alvin's position."

Savage seemed ready to kill the redhead, but Throk handcuffed his hands together. Shoving him to someone, the officers led away the disgraced guard.

"You'll still never amount to more than a murderer!" the man yelled, struggling against the others although it made no difference.

Mala glared after Savage until he was put in the back of a car and driven back to the prison. She turned to Dagur who had a smile on his face.

"Thanks for showing up," he said.

"Of course. I could imagine doing nothing else." The captain paused, an unreadable expression crossing her face. "I cannot stay for long, but I will come by to speak with you later today."

In excitement, Dagur nodded. Some of the other officers began taking him back to the prison and Mala continued her own work. Krogan was still on the run. His heartbeat was pounding loudly. It hardly ever did that. Nothing scared him. Almost nothing anyway, but the operation was crumbling down around the crime boss. Most of the operatives were already behind bars or dead and Viggo was in hiding with a mark on his head. For a moment, the man considered going into hiding as well. He was the last person left to blame for everything. Krogan shuddered at what that might mean. Despite what he knew he could and should have done, the man kept going until he reached a condemned building. He sneaked in through the roof, breaths heavy in part due to having run the majority of the way there and in part due to nervousness. The Flyer's stealth meant little in this building. As soon as he entered, he was noticed by a large man. A glare was on his face when he spoke.

"Explain what just happened."

Krogan tried to keep his voice even and calm. "Savage was set up. The other officers in the Berk Police Department did not trust him and followed him."

"Then, you made a foolish decision in selecting him to be the one to carry out this task of yours."

The shorter man could hear the other individual's tone of voice become more dangerous. He had to think quickly and use his words wisely.

"I did and I'm sorry for that. I thought it would be a simple enough matter for him to accomplish this."

Unable to move in time, Krogan's arms were roughly grabbed by several people. The man tried to pull free, but a prosthetic hand gripped his throat while another hand pressed the barrel of a gun into his forehead.

"You failed me," the larger man stated threateningly.

"I-I know, Drago. I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring Dagur into this operation. It was Viggo's idea. If you give me another chance, I'll be able to kill them bo–"

"I've given you enough chances. I don't like to be disappointed."

Krogan felt a tremble go through his body as he prepared for the ringleader's next actions. He did not expect to hear an unfamiliar, but authoritative voice.

"Lower your weapon," Mala ordered.

Drago's gaze shifted slightly from Krogan to the others. The man could see how officers were filing into the building. His people were outnumbered.

"I will not repeat myself," the captain warned him.

The ringleader scowled at her and then his operatives. Reluctantly, he put the weapon on the ground. Following his lead, the other Flyers released Krogan. Drago slowly lifted his hands and as he did, the Flyer leader ducked for cover. For a moment, Mala was surprised by his actions until she heard a small beep. In Drago's hand was a detonator.

"There's a bomb!" the captain warned.

Light flashed as various explosions went off inside the building. Its unsturdy walls needed little convincing to topple over and they soon were crumbling to pieces.

"Save who you can and evacuate," Mala instructed.

Doing as the leader said, the officers began apprehending the Flyers. Mala dodged a part of the roof that was falling and heard a low grunt. She saw that it had fallen on Krogan, pinning his leg. Smoke from the explosions was starting to fill the air. Ducking low to avoid breathing too much of this in, Mala helped remove the debris off the man. With furrowed brows, she saw that the impact had caused a compound fracture. The captain assisted him in walking and was able to escape outside. Once there, she saw that Throk was on his way in to get to her. He had a relieved look on his face when he saw her and accepted the criminal, attaching restraints. Mala turned to reenter the building, but he put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's about to come down."

"But Drago is still in there."

"We would not be able to get to him and escape in time."

Mala wanted to disagree, but she truthfully could not. She did not even have time to consider how she might get to Drago. Nearly as soon as Throk had spoken, the building crashed down, blowing smoke and dust at the people. It still was badly burning, so the officers contacted the fire department. Until they got there, Mala and the others watched the building, trying to see if they could find any signs of someone leaving. They never did. After the department arrived and extinguished the fire, they found a large, charred body. Mala and the others took the criminals to the police station and booked them for their involvement in the operation and attempted murder.

Before the officers found Krogan, Dagur returned to the prison, uncertain about what would happen next. It was already late, but that would not have been known due to the excitement in the building. Gobber, Stoick, and the other honest officers were busy with preparations, some having gone with Mala's task force. Those who stayed had to keep the inmates from getting too rowdy, but this was difficult to do since they knew something had just happened and wanted to know what. Through it all, Dagur anxiously awaited Mala's return. Matters began to calm down in the prison as hours passed. Whatever was going on was also going well. This gave the redhead a sense of comfort. It did not seem like something had gone wrong. Hopefully, that meant the captain and her team were still alive. Dagur's face lit up when Gobber came up to his cell.

"Have you heard anything yet?"

The blond nodded. "It's all good news."

"So, Mala's okay?"

"She's better than okay. She'll be here soon. Before she speaks with you, she asked me to bring you to the room to speak with…a mutual friend of yours."

"Why do I hear a note of sarcasm in those words?"

"You'll understand when you see."

Dagur shrugged and let the restraints be attached before they went down the hall. When they got to the therapy session room, Gobber opened the door and the younger man's eyebrows lifted.

"I didn't think you'd want to talk."

At one end of the table sat Viggo. He had fresh bandages on his burns and gestured for Dagur to join him.

"I would prefer to do it with us both sitting," the man admitted. "In recent days, turning has become quite the chore."

Gobber removed the handcuffs and left the two to speak. Dagur was about to ask him to stay in case the Grimborn said something that upset him. After a moment, he took a breath and decided against this. He could control himself. He did not need the safety net of protective glass or a calm presence. The young man went and sat down across from Viggo.

"So, you went with the protective custody route?" he asked.

"I did. I realized that it made far more sense for me to simultaneously receive protection and remove my enemies than to hide from them until my inevitable murder."

"I won't argue with you there. That doesn't answer the real question I have for you, though."

Viggo half-smirked. "Why I wanted to speak with you?"

"Yeah, it just doesn't seem necessary."

"It's not necessary at all, but I requested this from the captain."

"Okay, but why?" the redhead pressed, feeling more curious.

Viggo paused. "When we first met, I perceived you to be a fool. I assumed you were no different from my brother and the other ruffians in this prison who are only concerned with money and desires of the id." The man started to frown slightly. "Had I looked deeper, I might have seen the threat you posed to the operation. Admittedly, I was very irritated to learn that I had misjudged you. Though you might not be a master at chess, you were still a strong player in this game and I respect a worthy opponent."

Dagur chuckled. "Well, you definitely didn't make playing easy. You're quite the slippery person. I figured the most I could do was continue to let you think I was stupid so that you'd spill something you wouldn't normally tell someone. It was sort of fun, but you killing Ryker made me realize how real everything was." The chuckling stopped. "What was really tricky was not letting you catch on that I knew you killed my dad. Why did you?"

At this Viggo's demeanor changed. He did not look regretful, but he did look thoughtful.

"If you knew him well enough to get him to agree to play chess with you, he probably was buying drugs from you too."

"He was."

"Then, why poison him? How was he a problem?"

"Poisoning Oswald was not necessarily due to him being a problem anymore. He was an issue in the past and in the operation, grudges are–or rather, were–held."

"So, it didn't matter that he wasn't going after anyone anymore because he'd done it in the past?"

"Precisely. He sentenced too many operatives and buyers to prison. For a time, your father was a major obstacle to our success. That seems to run in your family."

Dagur frowned at the table. "Why'd you be the one to kill him? He chipped your favorite rook?"

Viggo let out a soft chuckle. "Nothing so petty. I simply knew him best. It would have been suspicious if someone else came to speak with him. I could get close enough, so I was given the task." The man paused, looking at the redhead. "This is not to offend you, but I did not like your father very much. Regardless, that had nothing to do with what I did. I just disagreed with some of his actions. Namely, the fact that he was hiding in that cabin. He told me how he orchestrated it."

"He orchestrated it?" the younger inmate asked. The edges of his mouth curved downwards. "So, he really did want to set me up."

The former crime boss nodded gravely. "He did. Oswald told me that it was simple to execute because he knew which knife you used the most and only had to cut into his hand after wearing one glove on the other to prevent his fingerprints being there."

A sad chuckle escaped the redhead. "Well, I guess that explains why there wasn't any proof of a break-in. Good to know."

Viggo regarded the other individual with something resembling sympathy. "I suppose he also underestimated you. Oswald thought little of you, yet you got further in less than one year than he did in nearly a decade. If I were you, I'd be proud of that fact."

The man stiffly turned his head to the sound of the door opening. Another officer had entered to retrieve him.

"Good luck in here," Dagur called after Viggo.

The duo exited and after a few minutes, the door opened again, but Gobber did not return. Instead, Mala entered the room. Dagur excitedly got to his feet and hugged her, grinning. Mala smiled as well and returned the hug.

"Gobber told me you were okay, but it's still better to see for myself."

When the redhead let go, he led the blonde over to the table and sat down with an eager look in his eyes.

"What happened when you left?"

"We were able to use a tracking device to let Krogan lead us to a condemned building. Drago was there and about to kill him."

"But I'm guessing you stopped that?"

"We did, but we didn't know that Drago had explosives in the building which he set off. He was buried under the rubble and burned by the fire."

Dagur tapped his chin. "No more ringleader then. In fact, it sounds like you were able to get a lot of the people."

"We were," Mala said, smiling. "Today was a very successful day."

"I'm happy to hear it!" He paused. "It almost seems too good to be true. Did we just really do this?"

"I believe that we did. It truly does feel marvelous to be able to move onto the next criminals, knowing that some progress was made in turning Berk into a safer place for its citizens."

Dagur let out a mischievous chuckle that brought a grin to Mala's face.

"And what may I ask is the cause of that?"

"Because, sweet Malapoo, this means I win!"

The inmate did an excited wiggle, making the captain laugh.

"If we are being fair, I also won."

"Okay, I guess you did. You did take care of the arresting side of things. This was certainly a team effort." Dagur tilted his head. "We didn't talk about ties, though. What now?"

"Since we both won, I suppose that also means we both lost." A content smile crossed Mala's face. "Which means that I will continue to visit and you will sing a song."

"That's fair trade!" The young man let out a laugh. "But I think I'm going to like my prize a lot more than you will."

Mala smiled at him. "I'm sure I'll enjoy both prizes very much."

She reached into her pocket and unfolded some pieces of paper. Then, the officer handed two of them to Dagur, keeping two for herself. He accepted them curiously.

"It's the song I selected," Mala elaborated.

The redhead nodded. "I don't think I've heard this one. Why do you have something to read too?"

"I thought it might be fun if it were a duet."

Dagur's face brightened. "That would be fun!" His eyes quickly scanned the lyrics. "Do you have some music to go along with it?"

Mala took out her phone, setting it down on the table and showing that a video was on pause. The redhead laughed in glee.

"You're on it just like I'd expect!"

The captain smiled at him and turned on the song. At Mala's gesturing, Dagur started singing along. She soon joined him. Halfway through and during an instrumental part of the song, Dagur started to improvise. This took Mala off guard and she began to chuckle. When this continued to the lyrical part, the woman laughed more.

"Those are not the words," the blonde lightly scolded.

"But this makes it so much more personal!" Dagur insisted proudly.

The young man taking the next verse with the proper words helped Mala catch her breath enough to join again. When the song ended, the blonde had a big smile on her face.

"This actually surpassed my expectations," she said. "When you were being serious, you sounded nice."

Dagur beamed at her. "Thanks! It was fun singing with you. I think you have a pretty voice. If you ever want another duet partner, I'm your guy."

"I will have to take you up on that offer."

As the papers were handed back, their hands touched. Slight blushes went over their faces as they noticed the contact. This reminded Dagur of what he had agreed to tell Mala. There she was in front of him. They had taken on a dangerous mission and lived to tell the tale. If the confession went badly, she could stop visiting and the plan for stopping the criminals would not be compromised. He had no excuse to refrain from saying anything anymore.

"I like you," he blurted out. As soon as he said this, Dagur's eyes widened. "There was supposed to be a segway into that." He laughed nervously. "Okay, how about you forget what I just said and I'll try that again. It'll be way better this time. Promise!"

Mala took his hand in hers. When she did, Dagur felt himself calming down. She gave him a warm smile.

"I like you too."

A wide grin began to spread across the redhead's face, then he stopped himself. "Wait, you know I mean in a romantic way, right? I'm not just saying, 'Mala, you're cool and I like you as an individual.' Which I do, but…you know. Your singing isn't the only pretty thing about you."

Mala chuckled. "I know what you mean and my answer remains the same."

The smile returned to Dagur's face. "Do you think you'd want to go to a karaoke bar on a date one day?"

"I would love that. I am still looking forward to that scuba trip and our date sparring."

"Prepare for that and more because I'm not going to stop thinking up ideas to make you as happy as you can be."

Mala gave Dagur's hand a squeeze. "It is easier for you to make me happy than you believe."

Eyes twinkling, the redhead kissed the back of the captain's hand. A knock sounded on the door and the two of them sighed.

"Captain," someone said, "we got a call that there's an issue with one of the new inmates."

"I'll be right there," Mala answered. She turned back to Dagur and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I will visit again soon."

"I'll be waiting."

The captain left the room to return to the department. After a moment, Dagur jumped up from his seat.

"She likes me!" he exclaimed, laughing in joy.

Gobber opened the door to see the redhead in the middle of a victory cheer. When Dagur noticed him, he had a goofy grin on his face.

"Mala likes me," he revealed happily.

"I was wondering when you'd find out."

The inmate's jaw dropped. "You knew and didn't tell me?"

Gobber shrugged. "Eh, it wasn't my place to say, but it was funny watching you two lovebirds blush everywhere."

Dagur made a face at him and was led back to his cell. Even after all that time, he could tell that a lot was still going on in the prison. That did not change for a few weeks. Things got busier and busier both in and outside of those walls. A new hearing was planned. Dagur was no longer the dangerous murderer of three innocent people. The young man was still troubled, but he also was instrumental in the takedown of the Hunters and Flyers. He might have the potential for something besides rotting in a prison until his death. When it was the morning of verdict day, Dagur sat in the therapy room with Farid. The time for being at the court was scheduled early, but Farid still was there beforehand and his client appreciated that.

"Think it'll work?" Dagur asked. "I've still done some pretty serious stuff. Stopping the operation doesn't change that."

"It doesn't, but I think that the judge is reconsidering the facts of your case. With just some treatment, you helped the people of Berk more than most do in their entire lives. The therapy is working and you've absolutely proven that." The psychologist had a calm expression on his face. "So, even if today does not go as planned, your progress is undeniable and I don't plan on getting a different client."

The words comforted the inmate as the morning continued. He kept them in his mind when he was walking into the courthouse and as the judge made her ruling. When Dagur heard what was said, it seemed unreal. Released into the care of Doctor Farid at his clinic until deemed mentally fit to return to society. Dagur was almost scared to laugh in happiness after the decision was made, lest he convince the judge to change her mind. It would not have mattered either way because the sound of clapping and happy cheers came from the audience. Heather ran over to her brother and hugged him, realizing that it was the first time she had done that. He happily returned the hug, chuckling when he felt two more people joining. The twins practically tackled the redhead. Hiccup and the others approached as well, offering their congratulations and each getting a mildly painful, but overjoyed hug. Mala watched from a short distance. Still, her presence was noticed and Dagur went over to her.

"I'm very happy that this was the verdict," she said. "Sorry for not approaching immediately. I did not want to interrupt you with your frien–"

Mala stopped talking as she was dipped and kissed on the lips. Her cheeks were bright red when she was pulled back up, but she was already excited to do that again. Snotlout saw and gave the redhead two thumbs up. Afterwards, he looked confused.

"How'd he spend three years in prison and get a babe while I had to wait until I got a job as a stuntman?"

The friends rolled their eyes at him. They went to the entrance of the courthouse and caught up some until they were ushered out by the bailiffs. Dagur gave one more hug to Heather and wink to Mala before going with Farid to his car. They began riding to the clinic. Dagur could not stop smiling the entire time. Finally, they stopped when they were in the parking lot.

"There's a room that's been set up for you for a little while now," Farid told him. "You're welcome to decorate it as you'd like."

"Thanks, Doc," Dagur said sincerely. "Really, thanks. I can't believe we're actually here right now."

The psychologist got out of the car with a smile. "This is just the next step towards our goal. I'm glad that you're checking in, but I'm really looking forward to the day when I can check you out."

Dagur nodded excitedly and also got out of the vehicle. The clinic was nothing like those he had seen on television, but it was just as he would have expected from the doctor. Its residents were well cared for, positive, and welcoming. The other workers were as patient and compassionate as their employer. At times, Dagur felt undeserving of all their kindness, but more and more, the therapies were helping him see that he deserved to be happy. He received all the treatments Farid had promised from art and music therapies to animal therapy with a little Pitbull he found particularly endearing. Visitors were allowed in the clinic and certain people made the most of this. Mala visited as often as her schedule would allow, Heather and Dagur had bi-weekly dinners, Gobber and the others often came by, and the twins were regulars enough for the other residents to learn how to tell them apart from one another. Time passed and the difference between an hourly session and being a full-time patient was made clear. The redhead was getting better at a steady pace. He still knew that he was not like everyone else–he never would be, but that was fine. What mattered to him was when he saw a proud look on Farid's face.

"You've been doing wonderfully here," he said, setting his notes aside. "I can confidently say that I do not consider you to be a danger to people. I'm authorizing you to become an out-patient as of tomorrow."

Dagur grinned, but he could feel nerves creeping in. "I'm happy to hear that. I seriously am," he quickly added, "but I'll admit that I'm a little freaked out by the idea of being out there."

The redhead turned to look out the window. This therapy room had one unlike the other and it showed the beauty of outside. It had so much potential–potential for anything.

"I've never known how to operate in the real world, Doc. Are you sure I do now?"

"I'm sure that you will," Farid said reassuringly. "You've proven to me that you can adjust and that you won't let impulses get the better of you. We'll still have our talks, but I think you'd benefit from getting back out into the world and seeing what all you can do. I know it's a lot."

"You know what, I think you're onto something with that," Dagur said, feeling more confident. "I want to do something impactful. I liked knowing that I helped people. I'm going to do more of that. I'm not sure how yet, but I'll figure it out and you'll be the first to know when I do."

Farid smiled at him and they spoke for a little longer until the session ended. Dagur slept well that night. It was another thing he liked about the clinic. Sleeping there was simple and restful. When sunlight shone through the window, he welcomed its meaning. After a couple of hours, the young man took a bag of his belongings and went down to the front desk. Farid was there and put his signature on the document. He had a certain-looking smile. Dagur grinned as he noticed some familiar faces near the doorway. To Farid's surprise, he was wrapped in a big hug, then Dagur let go and waved as he headed to where the others were.

"See you next week, Doc!"

Dagur reached the visitors and scooped up Mala in his arms. When they kissed, Heather smiled.

"Get a room, you two," she teased.

The twins pushed past her to get closer.

"No," Tuff protested. "They can't do that unless the room's going to be doused in gasoline. We've got a stunt planned. I certainly hope you didn't forget Mister."

He wagged his finger at the redhead who shook his head.

"Don't worry, Tuff. I didn't forget."

"Good!" Ruff said. "We've got the perfect one figured out. Just don't tell Hiccup. He'll think this is too crazy for even the three of us."

With an excited spark in his eyes, Dagur moved Mala so that he was giving her a piggyback ride as he followed after the others. Whatever the future held, he was ready to face it head on. Who was to say? It was true that there would be struggles. The young man expected as much, but that did not deter him from wanting to experience the good as well. He wanted to have that magnet that Farid mentioned. All good things, he would pull in for his friends and family. They would outweigh the bad that life threw at them. They would make it so that the unknown was not so scary. The way Dagur saw things, he felt that his future might even have been rather bright.