A/N: Finally, it's here!
The roar of a motorbike engine could be heard outside as Astrid was finishing taking a shower. The noise stopped shortly after she emerged from the bathroom, hair wrapped in a soft white towel to dry, into a room filled with early morning sunbeams that warmed her skin. A couple of minutes later, as she was fiddling with the last few buttons of her uniform, there was a knock at the door of her hotel room.
"Come in!" She called once she was ready.
The outside lock chimed and before long she saw that it was Henry, pet carrier in one hand and key card held between his teeth while his other hand pushed against the door's weight. His boots squeaked slightly on the floor as he crossed the threshold.
Seeing his awkward situation, Astrid stood and grabbed the pet carrier, then set the sleeping Toothless inside the carrier on a nearby table, all before Henry voiced his request for help.
"Thanks," her fiance said, expressing his gratitude with a bow that earned him a smile.
"Anytime babe. So what brings you here all of a sudden with Toothless?"
"He needs a place to stay. My house... it was destroyed."
"Destroyed? Destroyed how?"
"The police said it was a gas explosion."
"And was it?"
Henry blinked. "I could tell you, but then you'd worry."
"Too late Henry. I've been worrying about both of us ever since Grimmel."
"I'll take that under advisement. I can't tell you now though, because I have things to do." The air conditioning clicked on, resulting in Henry becoming more tense in Astrid's eye while he zeroed in on the unit in the corner of the ceiling directly above their heads.
"You can't tell me anything and you want me to let you go back there? Babe, you're asking a lot here. Tell me something. Please," Astrid didn't like how her voice came out hoarse as she said that word and Henry looked at her with mild surprise, but then he sighed helplessly; looking like he had aged fifteen years in a couple of seconds.
"Astrid, trust me when I say this," he ran a hand through his unkempt hair, "but you have no idea what knowing what I do will do to you. You won't ever see the world the same way again and I swear by the gods themselves that you will regret knowing. So take some time to consider things. I'll be back in a day or two. Also, I want to put our marriage plans on hold till then." The words seemed to echo in the suddenly too-small hotel room.
"Why?" Her nails dug into her palms as she barely restrained herself from grabbing him by the shoulders to demand an answer. Her blood turned to ice. "You're not getting cold feet are you?"
Henry shook his head quickly. "No. No, it's not that. Okay, you know how in some stories a guy is about get married or retire or something and that they always die before the time arrives? I don't want to tempt fate in that way."
"That's not funny," Astrid's voice cracked, molten fury stirring in her chest. "You don't get to make jokes like that."
"I wasn't joking." Henry's eyes darted to the window as a car drove past, its headlights sweeping across the wall. "Look, I need to go-"
"No!" The word burst from her throat as she stepped between him and the door. Her hands trembled at her sides. "You don't get to drop something like that and just leave. Either you tell me what's really going on, or..." She swallowed hard, forcing the next words out. "Or don't bother coming back at all."
The silence that followed felt like a physical weight. Henry stared at her, his face a mixture of pain and sadness before all emotion seemed to melt away.
"If that's how you want it," he said, his voice eerily calm. Each word felt like a shard of ice. "Keep the ring. I'll be back for Toothless in a few days. Now if you'll excuse me."
He moved past her, his shoulder barely brushing hers as he reached for the door. The handle clicked, sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet room.
"Henry, wait-" But the door had already closed behind him, leaving her alone with the steady hum of the air conditioning and a sleeping cat who had no idea his world had just changed.
From the parking lot below, she heard his motorcycle roar to life. By the time she made it to the window, all she could see were his taillights disappearing around the corner, leaving her with nothing but questions and the terrible feeling that she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life.
In his carrier, Toothless finally stirred, letting out a confused meow that seemed to ask where his human had gone.
Astrid didn't have an answer fit for either of them.
Pulling into a petrol station on the way back to Berk, the smell of fuel could be detected, even through his helmet.
He took it off, resting the helmet on the handlebars of his motorcycle and ran a hand down his face. It was a snug fit which meant he had sweated during the journey.
Dragging a hand through his hair next, his thoughts drifted to Astrid and almost without intending to, he reached into a pocket for his phone.
There was a missed call and a text.
I'm sorry. Can we talk? Please?
His hands sought her contact number and his thumb lingered to press down and call her.
But then a truck roared into place by a pump not too far away from him and he blinked, moving out of autopilot, now aware of the mistake he had almost made.
It had been his plan to leave for a time but she said not to come back, so why should he return?
He was nothing if not someone who did what he was told.
His phone went back in his pocket and his helmet back on his head and before too long, he left the petrol station behind with a full tank.
He would return for his pet cat Toothless but not for her.
With that settled, Henry moved to thinking about other matters, namely Drago Bludvist and the contents of the text message from Alvin that remained un-deleted on his phone.
The briefcase that was placed on Drago's desk drew the casino owner's focus, not for what it might contain, but for who it was who had brought it along as part of a visit. The leather creaked against polished wood in the dim office, where the muted sounds of slot machines drifted up from the casino floor below.
That changed when the latches were undone with twin metallic clicks and Drago saw what was contained inside. His scarred fingers drummed once against his armrest.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds... Grimmel neglected to mention that his most attentive pupil was sitting on enough money to present it like this. Curious. I am also curious what you intend to gain by showing it to me." The deep voice seemed to make the air itself vibrate.
"Consider it payment in exchange for information." Henry's voice remained steady despite the chill of the over-air-conditioned room raising goosebumps on his arms.
"What information could be worth this much?"
"Nothing. It isn't, or rather wasn't, meant solely as payment for information, but something else in addition." The fluorescent light overhead buzzed faintly.
"That being?"
"A bribe for you to forget about me and someone I cared about. But my fiance has decided she is no longer part of my life so the extra money is redundant. Anyway, does the name Simon Jorgenson mean anything to you?" Henry's prosthetic leg was starting to ache from the walk to procure his money and reach the casino and standing in this room didn't help, but he refused to show any weakness.
"Stoick Haddock's nephew, which makes him your cousin." Drago leaned forward, his chair creaking under the movement. "Am I correct so far?"
"Yes. He and I have never been particularly close. Suffice it to say, I can give you his address. I trust you now understand what the money is for." The words tasted bitter in Henry's mouth, but he had long since learned how to keep his face neutral when discussing similar matters.
"You... want him dead." A smile spread across Drago's scarred face, the expression made more unsettling by the shadows cast from his desk lamp. "This money is payment to ensure his death. My my, you and your father are truly very different people. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You were taught by Grimmel after all."
"Yes." The word fell like lead in the quiet room. "Now, getting back on track. Can you have this done by the end of the day?"
"I can have it done in an hour or less if that suits you."
"That amount of time is fine with me. I suppose we should shake on it."
Shake hands they did, before Henry left the room.
Once the door shut in Henry's wake, Drago reached into his pocket for his phone.
"Griselda, I have a job for you. Meet me in my casino office immediately."
Stepping out into the casino parking lot, Henry dialled a number.
"Yes?"
"He took the bait, Alvin."
"Good. You know what to do."
"Yes sir."
"This is going to bore me to tears."
"You don't need to be here, remember? You decided to tag along."
Emma glanced over at her companion, Henry, who didn't pay her any mind until he finished affixing binoculars to the tripod in front of him. The empty house Alvin had long ago bought and provided made an ideal observation post for what they were going to do, even if it wasn't exactly comfortable. The fact that just one door separated the interior from the outside world and of course its location, made it more than ideal.
"It didn't go well with her, did it?"
She noted how his hands stilled in their work before resuming. "Correct, it didn't. No, I don't want to talk about it, so don't bother asking."
"Alright then."
The quiet of their stakeout was broken by the sound of an approaching vehicle's engine. A Ford transit van parked up.
"This is the place. Remember boys, observe only for now."
Across the street from the van, Henry had watched it arrive and park, watching with binoculars mounted on a tripod, and was now ensuring a sniper rifle was ready for use.
Both had assumed they had more time to prepare, so now neither would speak unless necessary.
He handed it to Emma. "Remember, shoot only when I say. Comms check."
Emma put her coms device in her ear.
"Check, check."
"Coming through clear. We're set."
Henry nodded once, returning to the binoculars but there was no sign of movement; everything was the same as when the van had arrived.
A few minutes elapsed before five people emerged from the van; the first of them being a woman who looked no younger than forty with brown hair. She stepped up to the door of the house that was closest to their vehicle.
Henry couldn't hear what was said, but she turned and instructed one of the men with her, to breach the door, which he did with two kicks near the door lock.
They entered, with Griselda at the rear, and just as she stepped over the threshold, Henry spoke into his com.
"Emma, fire at will."
The shot rang out at the same time that Henry, with a full-face motorcycle helmet concealing his identity, tore open the door of the house they were using as an observation post and opened fire at the door across the street. The rapid staccato of his weapon echoed off the buildings, making it impossible to tell where the shots were coming from by sound alone.
Griselda was on the ground taking shallow breaths when Henry reached her. Her clothes, particularly her grey shirt was stained a deep red and he picked up a strong scent of blood. So he finished her off with a bullet to the head, the sound conveying finality. Turning away as blood pooled on the ground around her, he focused on the remaining fallen.
He could see three bodies, not counting Griselda. The final guy had reached the van and was fumbling with the controls to leave. Henry watched him wrestle with the steering wheel for a moment then ignored the panicking man.
Henry stepped inside the door of the house. The lock would need to be repaired, he noted. Then he registered movement up the stairs as Snotlout appeared, wearing pyjamas and half asleep, judging by his gait.
He descended a step before he registered the man standing by the door, gun in hand and face hidden by his tinted motorcycle helmet.
"Who-" His cousin yawned. "Who are you?"
"You should mebbe call the police, laddie," said Henry, imitating Gobber.
Then Henry turned and left, leaving a bewildered Snotlout in his wake.
"Time to go, Emma. Before my cousin figures out what happened here."
"Way ahead of you. Go ahead and take off, I've got everything sorted already."
"Not a chance. I need to know we're in the clear. Not going to let things go wrong now."
"Bring the bike round then."
Henry retrieved his motorcycle from where he'd hidden it behind Alvin's house, the engine purring quietly to life. Through his helmet's visor, he watched Emma emerge from the shadows, equipment bag slung securely across her back. She climbed on behind him just as sirens began to wail in the distance.
They were three streets away before the first police car rounded the corner toward Snotlout's house. By the time anyone thought to look for witnesses, they'd be long gone, leaving only spent cartridges and cooling bodies as evidence of their visit.
Henry clicked his com once more. "Heading to the safe house. You know what to do with the gear."
"Already planned out," Emma replied, her voice barely audible over the wind. "Though I have to ask - was the west-scottish accent really necessary?"
Henry simply turned his head, eyeing Emma through his helmet for a moment, before turning around again and not bothering to answer.
The survivor from Griselda's team practically fell through the casino office door, still breathless. "Boss- they knew we were coming. Griselda, she's... they got her. All of them except me."
Drago's scarred fingers drummed against his desk. "And Simon Jorgenson?"
"Alive. Whoever hit us... they weren't there for him. They were waiting for us."
The drumming stopped. Drago's face remained impassive, but his voice carried an edge sharper than steel. "Get out."
Once alone, he reached for his phone but stopped. Henry Haddock had played him perfectly. The question now was why.
But Drago was prevented from pondering this further, as at that moment, the door was forced open to reveal a smiling Alvin on the other side, with the survivor from before held by him in a tight headlock.
"Good Afternoon," Alvin greeted Drago, then promptly snapped the neck of his victim. "Time to negotiate surrender. But first...boys, take him."