A/N: And now, the final chapter of Due Process. Leaving the ending a little open-ended in case you guys want an epilogue :)

Hope you've all enjoyed the story!

Now, back to TMAS

The exercise yard at Berk Correctional had always felt small to Hiccup, but today it felt smaller. He kept to his usual spot against the fence, pretending to read while watching the guard tower. Three years of routine had taught him their patterns - shift changes, patrol routes, blind spots. Knowledge that would soon prove useful.

The yard fell quiet as the transport van approached. Even the basketball game stopped mid-play, prisoners drifting toward the fence for a better view. Hiccup didn't move. He'd spent enough time in Thor's Hammer Gym to recognize the predatory anticipation in their postures.

Through the chain link, he watched two guards escort Drago across the parking lot. The crime boss looked different in prison orange, but his bearing hadn't changed - back straight, head high, that same cold smile playing at his lips. As if this were just another business meeting.

"Heard he paid off half the guards at County," one inmate muttered nearby. "Bet he's already got something set up here."

Hiccup turned a page in his book, remembering the gym's private training room where Astrid had first gone undercover. Where she'd proven herself with carefully controlled violence, building a cover story that would eventually get her killed. The thought of Drago having a similar influence here made his fingers twitch.

The processing would take hours. Hiccup knew the procedure intimately - intake photos, medical screening, assignment to general population. He'd gone through it himself after Simon's testimony had sealed his fate. But unlike Drago, he hadn't had connections waiting inside.

A shadow fell across his book. "Haddock." It was Torres, one of the more reasonable guards. "Captain wants to see you."

Hiccup nodded, dog-earing his page before standing. As they walked toward the building, he caught one last glimpse of Drago disappearing through the intake doors. The crime boss moved like he owned the place already.

In a holding cell down the hall, Simon waited for his transfer, the state's witness protection deal his reward for testimony. But as he watched Drago's confident stride through the window, he felt nothing but hollow regret.

"I never meant for her to die," he said quietly, more to himself than the guard nearby.

Through the window, he caught Hiccup's eye across the yard. The younger man's gaze held no anger anymore, just an empty understanding that cut deeper than rage ever could.

"The worst part?" Simon whispered. "I can't even remember why it seemed worth it anymore."

But Drago didn't know this prison like Hiccup did. Didn't know about the maintenance tunnel that ran behind the laundry, or the three minutes between camera sweeps in the east corridor. Didn't know that Gobber had slipped Hiccup the complete facility blueprints during one of his visits, disguised as legal papers.

Most importantly, Drago didn't know about the server access codes hidden in Astrid's final message. The ones that would eventually expose everything - his father's murder, the dead officers, all of it. Eight years was plenty of time to plan.

"Captain's worried about potential conflict," Torres said as they reached the administration block. "Considering your history."

Hiccup gave him his best resigned smile. "Just trying to serve my time quietly, sir."

Torres nodded, apparently satisfied. But as they passed the intake area, Hiccup allowed himself a small, grim smile. Let them think he was broken. Let them think the brilliant detective's son had given up.

After all, the best investigations started with people underestimating you. Astrid had taught him that.