A/N – This is it. This is the last chapter of this story. To be honest, I didn't expect to get more than ten chapters when I started this. That's not meaning I didn't have good faith in this story, I just didn't think it would be this long in the outline portion.

Thank you, everyone, for your support and reviews, the good and the not so good. (You know who you are.) It means so much as a writer to know that there are people that like what I'm writing, that look forward to updates, and are willing to spend their time on my stories. You are all amazing, and I thank you eight times over.

I do have another story I'm working on, but I want to put my focus in the Prince Hiccup AU because I've neglected it these past couple of weeks. I wanted to put all my creative flow into this ending because I discovered while writing three stories at once that if I'm not totally eye-ball deep in a story the ended falls flat, and it ends up half-assed. I mean, that Dagur/Revenge story did not get the TLC it deserved. (Before you ask, no, I'm not re-redoing it.)

And, as a last note, CAN WE NOT FIGHT IN THE REVIEWS, PLEASE? I mean, I know that it makes it look like I've got more reviews that I actually do, so, I guess, in a way it helps? But, in the future, please refrain from yelling and disagreeing with each other to somewhere else. Thank you.

X

Chapter 37: It's Too Cold Outside for Angels to Fly (Part 3)

The rain blurred the road as Hiccup drove, pounding on the windshield as water-bullets, exploding into flat blurs, fading instantly into the mass of water as it streamed across the glass. The wipers helped, but only a little, as more rain replaced the wiped-away drops faster than the wipers could go. Lightning flashed across the sky and lit up the dark, spring-storm clouds, angry and violent against the ink sky. His heart hammered hard in his chest; white knuckles gripped the wheel.

What the hell was he doing? He had thought about turning around every ten minutes for the past several hours. Yet he still drove north, easing westward, and now he was nearly back home. There would be no point in turning around now, not after he drove all afternoon, through the lightning and rain and traffic. Hiccup hunched to avoid the glare of headlights in his mirrors as the familiar cityscape flashed through the lightning.

Hiccup pulled off the interstate and onto the city streets. Rain gathered in gutters and swished in low places on the streets, flooded off rooftops and waterfalled from every gutter. Hiccup carefully navigated back to the apartment, taking an alternative route to avoid a downed power line and an angry looking power company crew. He pulled into the parking lot, leaving temporary ruts in the water behind. He parked beside Astrid's little blue car, pulled the keys out and threw them into his pocket, but hesitated.

This was all insane. He looked up at the blurry view of the dark apartment as a flash of light came across the living room window. Inhaling deeply, he pushed the car door open and ducked outside. The rain pelted his face and soaked through his shoes as he ran to the sidewalk. Before he reached the entrance, his shoulders were soaked, as was much of the rest of him. Once inside, he shook, shedding a layer of water on the floor.

"Damn," Hiccup spat as he looked back into the storm. He'd left his suitcase in the car. He'd get it in the morning, or whenever this storm passed.

Thunder rattled the entire building and rain beat against the outside, deafened only by the harsh crackling. His shoes squeaked as he walked to the elevator, dripping on the way up, leaving a puddle behind. Surely, all this water didn't do well for the machinery. Hiccup fetched his keys from his pocket as the doors slid open with a whine. He stepped out, knowing that by now Astrid would be probably be asleep. Has she gotten his text? Would she be waiting up? When he opened the door, would she be waiting on the other side? Hiccup push his key into the lock just as a hard beat of thunder rattled the floor. He turned the knob, but the door hadn't been locked.

Hiccup withdrew his key as a quick series of strange sounds interrupted him. A bang, a feminine squeal, and a hard thud. His heart leapt into his throat and he threw the door open, rushing over the threshold. Instantly, his heart hammered and stopped. The living room looked as though the storm had come inside, the television lay on its side, the barstools were scattered, and a cup had been smashed on the kitchen floor.

Hiccup stepped inside, hand over his chest, as thunder shook and lightning lit up the window. A thud came from the bedroom, and all at once his chest burst. The room was dark, and as he pushed the door in, his breath left him. Astrid lie on the floor beside the bed with a broad shouldered stranger on top of her, but the darkly lit scene dissolved quickly from his first impression. They were not having sex, but the man's hands clutched Astrid's pale throat. She clawed at them, gasping, kicking, wriggling underneath him, her strength lessening with every passing second.

"W-what?" Hiccup gasped, his voice small and high, half lost. "What?"

The strange man turned around. His frightening, scruffy grin vanished into molten anger. "Who the hell are you?"

"Hiccup?" Astrid's thin voice barely sounded above the rain. Her blue eyes focused on him, cloudy and weary.

"Hiccup?" the man asked, a smirk flickering across his face. He jumped up from Astrid and slammed his thick body into Hiccup's, pushing them both through the bedroom door. They collapsed on the ground in the living room as Astrid purged into a coughing fit.

Hiccup tried to scoot away, but the man held his arm, pulling him, and threw him against the lower cabinets. Hiccup's leg connected to the handle, and his prosthetic forceful separated from the stump. The man stood and muscular, large hands lunged for Hiccup, who fumbled to his one foot, while the fake leg rolled in his pant leg.

"What's wrong, Hiccup?" The man taunted. "Can't take a hit?"

Hiccup leaned on the counter and watched his fake leg jut out awkwardly in his rain-speckled jeans. The man lunged, his hands reached for Hiccup's throat, when a flash of yellow tore between them.

"NO!" Astrid flung herself at the man, fastening her arms around his neck, digging her nails into his face.

"Bitch, get off!" The man fell back a step and howled as red lines appeared along his skin. He reached around and took fistfuls of hair and clothing, and threw Astrid over his shoulders and onto the floor. She landed with a terrifying thud.

His thick hands once again fastened around Astrid's throat, and pushed her down into the floor. Hiccup crawled further along the counter, fumbling nervously with his leg, and when he failed to reconnect it he yanked the prosthetic off.

"Why is getting rid of you so hard?" The man whined as he looked down at Astrid with wide eyes, as the color quickly drained from her face.

Hiccup used bravery he didn't know he had, fueled by fear for himself and Astrid, and hobbled within range of the man's head. Using a strange, inhuman balance, Hiccup swung his prosthetic through the air. It connected to the man's head, thudding into the back of it, with a sickening crack. The impact vibrated through the prosthetic and after a moment the man slumped forward. His grip loosened and Astrid, with Hiccup's help, pushed him off of her. He rolled onto the floor, where he stayed.

Astrid coughed, sitting up with a hand to her throat, where a bruise already began.

"Astrid?" Hiccup gasped, collapsing to his knees.

"Are you okay?" Astrid asked, breathlessly.

Hiccup nodded, and the world spun. "What…what happened?"

Astrid shook her head. She glanced at the man lying on the floor. "I heard knocking a-and I thought it was you. I didn't ask who it was…I just opened the door and he got me."

"What do we do? Is he dead?" Hiccup let his eyes fall on the unmoving back of the man. "We should call the police, or something."

"No," Astrid said quickly. "My phone…I need to call Alvin."

Hiccup didn't argue as Astrid pushed to her feet, walking unevenly to her phone on the bedside table. Fresh bruises darkened along both her arms and her entire body shook as she put the phone to her ear. His stomach unsettled and he bent forward, sure he'd met his lunch again. Hands touched his shoulders as the darkness edged in.

For what happened next, Hiccup would remember in blurs. Someone half-carried him into the bedroom. Sunglasses and another man appeared in their living room, stood over the body of the man, and whispered in low tones. More people appeared and the bedroom door shut.

"Hiccup, I'm so sorry," Astrid pleaded beside him.

Words failed him. He reached out and clasped his shaking hand around hers. He could still see her, lying prone on the floor, with her life being squeezed out of her.

"Hiccup, lie down," Astrid said softly beside him, with a warm hand against his chest.

She gently pushed him down to the bed and pulled the blankets around him. A delicate, nervous finger traced his forehead. The pillow curved around his head and the blankets snuggled in around him. Her shape blurred, but the bruise forming on the soft skin of her throat remained, and marred the skipping, daunting, nonsensical darkness that followed.

X

Astrid stayed until Hiccup's eyes closed, either from sleep or unconsciousness. Sweat had appeared along his hairline and his hands felt clammy. All of this had been caused by her. She cautiously slipped from the bed and tiptoed to the closed bedroom door. The lights on the other side had been turned off and hushed, calm voices slipped through the crack, too mumbled to understand. Astrid bent down on her hands on knees and pressed her ear to the space underneath the door.

"…take him by. Sims is on the way. He'll be glad to know that carpet won't need replacing this time."

"Right. How do you want to get him out of here?"

"Normally I'd say one piece at a time, but we don't have time for that. I'll have to be a one-trip removal."

"Right, trunk or front seat?"

"Funny. I'll scout ahead and make sure that no one's out this late, and even if they are, you and him are two friends who drank too much. He didn't handle it well."

"Yeah, looks like a bit of a lightweight." He chuckled. "Alright, help me get him up."

Astrid pushed herself away from the door, glad to let the voices fall back into hushed, indistinguishable mumbles. She wrapped her arms around her torso and tiptoed back to the bed. Hiccup breathed evenly, calmly, as if anything else had just happened. She sat down on her side of the bed and slipped her legs under the blanket.

Dagur was dead. Because of Hiccup. If he hadn't been there when he had…she would be the one lying on the floor. But…Hiccup had killed Dagur. Astrid placed a hand to her throat, where she still felt the hot imprint of fingers. Did that make Hiccup a murderer? He acted out of survival. What did that mean? Astrid crossed her arms over her eyes. She didn't want to think about any of this.

X

Hiccup woke up with a terrible headache. Astrid slept soundly beside him, fist curled in the blanket. He sat up, and immediately felt the difference underneath the blanket. He lifted it to see, and as he thought, his leg was missing. At first, he scanned the bedroom floor. Not there. He checked the foot of the bed, not there either. Toothless poked his head out from his tight sleeping ball, and stretched out his lean, black body.

"Good morning, Bud," Hiccup said as he scratched the cat's head. "Do you know where my leg is?"

He'd meant it as a joke, however Toothless turned his attention to the bedroom door. It took only a short second before Hiccup realized why his leg was not where it should have been. The previous evening flooded back so quickly that his headache intensified and his stomach upturned, nearly sending his last meal back to him. Hiccup put a hand to his face and let the uneasiness pass.

He'd used his own leg as a lethal weapon. But, had he actually killed him? He'd only been knocked out, surely.

Astrid stirred, rolling onto her other side with a sleep-moan. Hiccup caught the dark flesh under her chin, and his heart froze. His leg must be where he left it, or where he dropped it. He couldn't remember. It happened so fast he just…blanked out. The imaged of that man with his hands on Astrid's neck stuck in his brain, stinging his eyes, refusing to diminish. After that, however, everything…blurred. It didn't seem like reality, but some half-dreamt nightmare where his limbs descended on the ends of puppet strings, loosely based on his own thoughts, primal instincts, as if part of someone else's will.

Hiccup scooted to the edge of the bed and set his one foot on the floor and let the stump of the other dangle over the edge. He could remember the first morning he'd been able to sit up after the incident, the first time he'd seen the raw, ugly stump of his left leg. It had been a shift, a change he had to get used to. At first, he knew it would be impossible. He'd never walk again, be marred for life, unable to do the simplest of tasks, and be a liability to his father, an extra chore.

"Hiccup?" Astrid's tried, hoarse voice asked in a soft whisper. She moved, crawling across the bed to him, and gently touched his back.

"Hey," Hiccup answered, just as softly, still staring down at his leg. The scar tissue had healed up, but it still looked as gnarled and disfigured as it had that first morning.

Astrid's arms draped around his shoulders. Her chin met his shoulder and she hugged him, and didn't let go. "I'm sorry."

Hiccup reached up to where her fist tightened in his shirt, and covered her hand with his. "Astrid, did I kill him?"

"I-I don't know," Astrid said.

"Are you lying?" Hiccup asked. She was, her wavering tone gave her away.

"I don't know," Astrid said. "I really don't. Either way, he's dead now."

Hiccup felt her fist tremble as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Astrid pleaded. "I should have told you sooner. You were always different. I knew I'd mess it up, because that's just how I am, isn't it? I knew it would come apart because I'd step in it."

Wetness soaked into his shoulder.

"Astrid," Hiccup began, but didn't know how to finished. "I don't think there would have been a good time to tell me you were a prostitute. I mean…that's never good news."

"I know," she said weakly, barely audible.

"I know that I-I should be furious." Hiccup swallowed and closed his eyes, determined to finish this. "I am mad and upset and…something else I don't know. But when I was with Mom, all I could think about was you. I missed you, even though I was mad at you. I missed talking to you, but I didn't want to talk to you. I didn't want to be anywhere near you, but I hated being away from you." A balloon expanded rapidly in his chest with each word, until he couldn't speak any more of them.

"You came back early," Astrid said quietly.

"Yeah," Hiccup said with a nod. "Mom and I went to dinner and I told her everything. We talked and I just…she asked me what I thought I should do. I should have left you. I should have walked away." He felt her arms shake, and squeezed her hand. "I should have, but I couldn't. I didn't want to push you away. I didn't want to leave and never come back. Mom told me to come back in her car and she'd take my flight and come get it. She said that if I loved you I should fight to keep you, not let you go."

"Hiccup," Astrid started, but Hiccup cut her off.

"I'm still upset about what you did," he said shortly. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to trust you. But I'm willing to work on it."

"Hiccup." Astrid's voice cracked, tear-choked and wobbly, and her arms hugged him tighter still.

"Just promise me you won't…do those things anymore. Quite that job." Hiccup looked at her, as best he could at the angle.

"I promise," Astrid choked back tears. "Alvin got me a promotion here in town. I've worked all week."

Hiccup twisted in her embrace to face her, and began to say something when a knock on the door interrupted. He raised his arm to stop the intruder when the door opened, and Sunglasses walked through.

"There's a car on the curb waiting for you," Sunglasses said.

"Right now?" Astrid asked, putting two hands to her face.

"Yeah," Sunglasses nodded.

"Where are you going?" Hiccup asked quickly, looking from Sunglasses to Astrid.

"Alvin wants to speak with you, both of you," Sunglasses said before Astrid could answer.

Hiccup tried to stand, but the lack of a foot made that quite difficult. In an instant, Astrid slid off the bed and grasped onto his arm, pulling him back onto the bed.

"I'll get it," she said as she padded into the living room. She reappeared in a moment with his prosthetic in her hands. She knelt in front of him and set it down, and with a gentle hand she guided his leg into it. He helped her secure it, and she helped him to his feet.

"Thank you," he said.

She bit her lip.

Sunglasses rapped on the door, "Come on, no time for formalities."

X

Hiccup followed Astrid out of their apartment building, to a waiting car with tinted windows. Sunglasses opened and closed the back door and watched the car drive away. They weaved through town, doubled back more than once, and eased onto the speeding northbound interstate. They sat in silence as the sun warmed up the other side of the thick, spring clouds. Hiccup caught Astrid's stare, but neither said nothing.

St. Louis loomed through the glossy, gray afternoon. The arch flashed past, a great frown against the sad sky. They stopped outside of a small, brick-front clinic. No sooner had the car stopped then a man came out to meet them, opening the door and ushering them both inside, into a little waiting room that smelled like antiseptic and body odor. They did not linger there. A nurse whisked Astrid one way, and the man guided Hiccup another, into a cluttered office where a middle-aged, large shouldered man sat behind fine wooden desk.

Hiccup hesitated, and the man pushed him inside and shut the door. The man did not look either happy or mad, but some mixture of both, with a permanent downward tilt to his lips. He did not look like a doctor, or anyone Hiccup would trust with his health or life.

"Hiccup Haddock?" He said clearly in perfect articulation.

"Yes?"

"Have a seat," he gestured down the two cushy blue chairs.

Hiccup sat down.

"I've heard a lot about you," he said calmly. "I am glad that we finally get to meet each other."

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said. "But who are you?"

The man smiled, and Hiccup wished he hadn't. "Right, of course, Astrid probably didn't tell you about me. My name is Alvin Trotter."

Alvin. That Alvin. Astrid's pimp, or whatever he was. Hiccup laced his fingers together, hiding the urge to shout at him, to hit him, both of which would not go well. Alvin reached his large hand out to Hiccup, but he didn't take it. Alvin continued to hold it out, when the door opened. Astrid came inside and slumped into the chair beside Hiccup.

"Well?" Alvin asked, letting his hand fall back to the desk.

"I'm fine," Astrid said. "Just bruised."

"That's good." Alvin nodded. "And I suppose we both have you to thank?"

All eyes turned to Hiccup. "I guess so."

"You guess?" Alvin asked. "If you hadn't done what you did, little Astrid here would be the dead one, and Dagur would still be out there. Hell, you might be dead, too. But both of you are here, alive, and Dagur is the one getting to know the Mississippi. That is nothing to guess about."

"He's right," Astrid said. "Thank you."

"I killed him?" Hiccup blurted out.

Alvin nodded. His dark eyes bore through his skin, searing their way inside. Alvin leaned forward, pushing Hiccup back into the chair with his stare. He spoke lowly, a clear rumble. "But, this is the serious part, boy. You take last night to your grave, or I will dig it early. Understand?"

"Yes," Hiccup said, his voice small.

"Good. Now, tell me what you did last night," Alvin asked conversationally.

"What?" Hiccup blinked, and then looked at Astrid.

"We had a fight," Astrid said, looking at Hiccup. "You went to visit your Mom, but came home early. I was sleeping when you came home."

Oh. That's what he meant. Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, I-I remember that."

"What about the noise the neighbors heard?" Alvin asked casually.

"I fell," Hiccup said. "Knocked the TV over."

Alvin nodded.

"We'd fought when you got home, I-I hit you, and you pushed me," Astrid added. "But we made up."

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded, looking at her. "We made up."

"Good," Alvin folded his fingers together. "I'd invite you both to lunch, but you look a little rough to be seen in public."

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other. If Hiccup looked anything like Astrid, he didn't want to go out. If Astrid felt anything like he did, she would want to go home, crawl under the blanket, and stay there until Monday morning.

"The car is should be outside, someone will show you out." Alvin rapped twice on the desk and the door opened.

Astrid stood and Hiccup followed. They climbed back into the backseat of the car with tinted windows, and in a few dizzy moments, St. Louis shrank behind them. Astrid slipped her hand into his, and squeezed.

"You alright?" She whispered.

Hiccup nodded, "Not really, but give a few years."

She smiled, just like she used to. She scooted closer, to sit beside him, and nestled her head onto his shoulder. He slipped his arm around her, and rested his cheek against her hair.

"Are we okay?" Astrid asked.

The loaded silenced pushed in on his ears. She looked to him for the answer, but he wasn't sure if he had it, or even if he could find it. He tried. "I don't know. We can only try, I guess. Just no more secrets, okay? I love you, and I don't want there to be anything you don't feel like you can tell me, and likewise."

"I love you, too. And I agree." Astrid nodded against him. Her voice dropped. "Although, I doubt that you've got any nasty secrets like I did."

He inhaled, but hesitated.

"Hiccup?"

"You remember that night when you came back from St. Louis and I had a bunch of people over?" Hiccup said cautiously.

"Yes?"

"I…uh, I kissed Cara that night. Just to see." Hiccup swallowed, waiting for her reaction, but it didn't come. "I walked her out to her car, and…"

"Did you have sex?" Astrid said bluntly.

"No," Hiccup shook his head. "It was just a kiss, but…it was nothing. It wasn't like kissing you."

She leaned away from him, eyes wide. "You're guilty about kissing another girl?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I know, I just…let's start over, okay? No more secrets or lies or half-truths."

Astrid nodded without hesitation. "Okay, but how?"

Hiccup looked out of the window for inspiration. How did two people start over? He tapped his foot and looked back at her. "Tell you what, I'll meet you tomorrow at the library, around one. We'll get some coffee."

Astrid smiled, small, bright tears lined her eyes. "That sounds fantastic. It's a date."