Chapter 9: A Night in the Haddock House.

Astrid rushes over to the bucket near the door of her and Hiccup's shared bedroom. Luckily she makes it in time for her stomach to empty its coughs out the last bits and breathes a sigh of relief.

" Gods! I know I'm not sick, but my stomach is not letting me be!" She shouts in her head before she hears the main door open and close with some familiar voices.

She looks down from the top of the staircase to see Hiccup with Kyra and her kids.

" Hiccup? What's going on?" She asks. It's late. What are they doing here?

" Maybe this isn't a good idea." Kyra says.

" Hang on." Hiccup says before turning to her. " Astrid. I can explain this. Kyra and her family really need a place to stay for the night. I promise you this is a one night only deal."

Astrid smiles.

" Of course they can stay the night. They can stay as long as they want. It's not at all a problem to me." She says.

" Are you sure?" Kyra asks sheepishly.

" Honest." Astrid responds.

Hunter immediately goes straight for where the warm fire is glowing in the middle of the main living space with his mom following just behind holds his baby brother.

" So warm." Hunter responds inn pleasure.

Meanwhile the baby in Kyra's hands moans. Astrid doesn't know what the baby wants. Then again, she's not exactly a mother. Nor does she want to be anytime soon.

" I can have the guest room setup while you guys warm up." Hiccup says. " I think I still have my old cradle in the attic. I can pull it down if you want."

" You don't have to…" She tries to say but Hiccup insists. " It's fine."

" Well….that would be nice. Thank you." Kyra says in appreciation as she looks up at the young chief.

He nods as he heads up the stairs. Leaving the two women with the children alone.

" So what happened to sleeping in the Great Hall like everyone else?" Astrid asks.

" Vali was crying and people didn't exactly like it." She scoffs. " Well if he wasn't my baby, I honestly don't know how I would feel about a crying baby after losing our home island. It's been a long day."

" I can imagine it. " Astrid says.

" I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you. So I apologize for it." She says.

" Nonsense. You just talked to me and Hiccup a few hours ago."

" I mean… a real conversation. One that isn't about war and all that wonderful good stuff." She sarcastically says.

" You know on a personal level, you are a lot like Hiccup with that dry sense of humor. It's kind of funny." Astrid smiles.

Kyra snorts, " Yeah. Helps with getting through everyday life. I guess."

" Believe me. We all need that sense of humor more than ever. I can give you a great Hiccup impersonation if you want."

" Don't even think about it!" The woman hear Hiccup shouts. Causing the two of them to laugh loudly along with Hunter jolting awake and looking up at his mom in confusion.

Kyra recovers and says to her oldest, " Oh…. Sorry Hunter. Go back to back to warming up."

He shrugs and goes back to warming up to the fire in a sleepy manner. He looks like he's about to drop off.

Kyra can't help but find both of her sons cute at the moment. Until she feels the stiffness, aches and pains in her breasts that is giving off the signal, " Feed the baby."

She moans from the pain, which makes Astrid raise an eyebrow.

" You ok?" She asks.

" Yeah." She responds. " I just need to get rid of some milk right now. It's about time to feed Vali anyway. I have to feed him often."

" Oh." Astrid says. She doesn't know how to feel about this.

" Can you hold him for a second?" She asks as she holds out her baby.

Astrid has never held a baby and she feels weird about the idea of being asked to hold one. It's not an object. It's a life. She would never trust herself to hold a life in her hands.

" I… don't know how to hold a baby." Astrid says.

" Here." Kyra says. "Hold out your hands." Astrid does so. " One hand holds his bottom. The other, his head. Bring him close to you." She guides Astrid's arms to against her body. " Make sure his neck is supported…. There we go."

Astrid lets out a breath in disbelief. She can't believe she hasn't dropped him long by now.

" See. You're already getting the hang of it. Just let me get this overshirt off." She says before she proceeds to do so.

Astrid looks down at the baby and feels something weird. The baby looks up at her with his stern seafoam green eyes in such curiosity. He most certainly has her dark red hair, but something seems so familiar to her. A strong, but wise familiar feeling. He reminds her of the late Stoick.

" He looks like him." Astrid thinks sadly.

She doesn't have much more to think as his mother gently takes him out of Astrid's arms and proceeds to start feeding him. Astrid was ok with it since she see seen her mother do it many times for her younger siblings.

Astrid looks over to see the Hunter yawning by the fire. He's another familiar sight, but not as great. His tan scarred skin and his messy dark brown hair reminds her of sadness. Reminds her of Drago.

" What's wrong?" Kyra asks noting Astrid staring at her boy.

" Sorry. He looks familiar." Astrid says.

" In what way?" She asks.

" Well. This seems crazy, but he reminds of a bad man. A very bad man. Drago. He did terrible stuff. Was responsible for our last chief's….death." She says.

Kyra's chest tightens as she looks at Hunter. She knows his birth father was a bad man, but killing a great chief is horrible. Not what she imagined. But she loves her son more than anything in the world and would never see him the same way as his father. However, it's not a good idea to mention it to Hiccup and Astrid out of fear of what they would do to him. Even though they are nice people

She responds, " I see." She needs to change the topic and notices something about Astrid. She looks a bit green and unsettling. Like she is having nausea or is about to throw up.

" You ok?" She asks out of concern.

" Oh. I'm fine. Just a bad stomach bug. I've been having it for about a couple of weeks. Something is not agreeing with me." She says.

Kyra surveys Astrid. She's not sick, but she has something else. She can tell, because she was on that cart ride recently. Obviously, Astrid has no idea or is trying to convince herself that's not the case. Either way, someone has to give her a dose of reality. Looks like Kyra has to be the one.

" It also could be morning sickness." She says to Astrid.

" What?" Astrid asks in confusion.

" Morning sickness." She emphasizes. " It usually happens to pregnant women all the time."

" But I'm not pregnant. I can't be." Astrid denies as she frowns.

" You sure? I mean I see the signs. Believe me. I was in denial as well when I found out." Kyra says recalling her experience.

" Impossible. I'm not pregnant." She says.

" So you didn't have sex recently." Kyra asks.

" I didn't say that!" Astrid says.

" So you did have sex. If you had sex, turns out you can get pregnant from that."

" You don't know anything." Astrid glares.

" I was pregnant until six weeks ago. I know a lot about having a kid in you for nine months. I know when someone is pregnant. You're pregnant." Kyra tells her.

" No I'm not." She shakes her head. " I'm not."

" Alright." Kyra says. " Can you do just one thing? Just one."

" Fine." Astrid says.

" I feel like I need a hug." She says.

" That's a weird request." Astrid thinks before shrugging. " Alright."

Kyra hands Vali over to Hunter before she goes over and hugs Astrid. During which, Astrid feels one thing in her chest.

" Ow. Ow." She hisses in pain from the hug. She has been feeling that sharp pain in her chest for at least a week now.

Kyra suddenly releases the hug and says, " You're pregnant."

" What?" She says.

" Sore boobs." She says. " That's always the telltale. When a woman is pregnant, breasts become tender because milk is being made."

Astrid suddenly feels the world come to a screeching halt as she clutches her clest. It can't be true. She can't be pregnant. She can't!

" Oh gods." She places her head in hands in frustration as she sits down. " No. I can't be."

" Look. I know this isn't something you want to think about right now, but if you wanted to know what was wrong, this was what is behind all of this." Kyra says

" Why didn't I know this before?!" Astrid asks.

" You were in denial. It's perfectly normal to deny the idea." She says.

" You cannot tell Hiccup about this." She says to Kyra. " You can't!"

" And I won't. He's your husband. You should be the one to tell him. Not me. Not anyone else, but you." Kyra says.

" I don't want to tell him today. I just want a few more days where I can pretend my life isn't about to change. Ok?" She says.

Kyra understands how Astrid feels. Motherhood isn't something to take gently. It's a life changing experience. She doesn't feel ready for motherhood and she isn't ready to accept the facts yet. If Astrid wants to take the time to register this whole reality, it's more than fair enough.

" Alright. If that's what you want, I'll go along with it. But you can't hide this from him forever. It's better to tell him sooner than later."

" I shouldn't be having a baby now. How am I going to fight for the next nine months?" She asks.

" Well…. that's the thing. You shouldn't even be fighting in your condition for the next nine months. You have to take it easy."

" What?! Take it easy?! I can't just stay on the sidelines! I can't be inactive!" Astrid says in outrage.

" I know it's a hard adjustment." Kyra says. " Believe me. I just had a kid six weeks ago. I know what it's like to forced onto the sidelines. I hated it more than anything, but from personal experience, I know it was for the best."

" Oh gods." Astrid says. " What am I going to do? With everything that is going on right now, how am I supposed to handle this?"

" Look. Take the time you need to let it sink in. Then talk to your husband. Figure this whole thing out. A pregnancy happening now isn't the most convenient of times, but then again a pregnancy happening at any time isn't the most convenient." Kyra says. " Look. A baby isn't the end of the world. It just seems like it is. I thought it was until these two came in my life. " She says about her sons.

" Ok. Ok." She nods. Though she looks to be still registering the initial shock that she's pregnant.

" You two are going to be fine." Kyra assures her before they hear footsteps and look up to see the chief come down the stairs.

" I got the guest room ready." He says.

" Thank you." She smiles. " I really appreciate what you're doing for me and my boys."

" It's no problem. You guys can stay as long as you need to." Hiccup smiles.

Hunter yawns as he holds his sleeping baby brother. Kyra chuckles at the adorable sight.

" Alright. We should be heading to bed." Kyra says as she goes up to them and gently shakes her oldest awake. " Hunter. Let's go."

Hunter nods sleepily as he hands his mom Vali before he follows his mom up the stairs to the guest room. Hiccup walks over to Astrid and notices something's up.

" Astrid? What's wrong?" He asks her out of concern.

Astrid hesitates but she finally says, " I just been feeling sick again. I think I should go to Gothi."

" Alright Vali. Now we're comfortable." She quietly tells her infant son as he sleeps in the cradle.

" Mom?" Hunter asks. " Are we going to be ok?"

She walks over to him and assures him, " We'll be fine. I promise you that."

" I'm scared for dad." He says looking down at the floor. " I don't want him to die."

She kneels down and hugs him." Me neither. I don't want him to die either."

She release the hug and says, " Let's go to bed." with him nodding in response.

The bed was a single twin, so it was a bit of tight squeeze. Luckily Hunter is small enough to fit with his mom beside him.

" Mom?" Hunter says.

" Hm?" She responds as she wraps her arm around his shoulder.

" Can you sing me the lullaby that you sing to Vali?" He asks.

" Sure." She says.

I didn't mean to come here.

And I didn't mean to stay.

It's just where the sea wind blew me….

One accidental day….

A hero cares not for a wild winter's storm.

For it carries him swift on the back of the wave.

Our hearts may be worn and our souls may be lost.

But a hero fights forever.

I've heard the stories of the great lands.

It's skies is a blue you wouldn't believe.

I dreamt of visiting it's lands.

But I took a left turn at the pole….

Up with our swords and strike at the gale.

Face our fears and let our heart beat strong.

With the odds against us, but we'll find our way home.

A place where heroes stay….

Soon our ships hit these boggy shore…

It's not what we thought, but we made our home

Now I'm here to tell this story.

One day you'll be a hero.

But tonight, you have me.

Kyra looks down at her son and sees him sleep by her. She smiles to herself as she kisses his forehead and finally was able to drift off to sleep.

Long time to update. Sorry. Other stories. Doing a massive update this week. I hope I will be able to have everyone up to date. Hopefully by the end of this week. At least I can have this one crossed off my checklist of updates.

So. Yeah. This is more of a soft spotted chapter. I'm going to get into the plans of action of battle next chapter. Maybe also be able to reintroduce Valka into the mix and get a bit of her reaction upon seeing Kyra.

Please Review. I hope you guys like it.