Chapter 13 – A Long Way to Go

It's been a hot minute since I updated and I am so sorry, life got kind of crazy and I just didn't have the time or the energy to sit down and write. But yay for being back and extra yay for a new chapter!

Since I last updated, two things have happened. FIRST. The awesome oceanux/softdragon drew the really beautiful lighthouse moment from Moira. I am honestly so obsessed with it. Go check it out on my tumblr (or just look at my new icon hehe). I will also try and link it on my page. It's really so so pretty so please go give it a look cause I'm obsessed.

Also, dinochickrox on Tumblr created a Spotify playlist for Moira/Serendipity and it's so great! It's been cool listening to songs that others tie in with this story, so thank you for creating it. I will also try to link this too if you would like to check it out.

Thank you all for being patient for this new chapter and I hope you enjoy it. This chapter has a little bit of everything and I sure hope you like it…pssst Carolina…this chapter has a scene I know you've wanted for a while now.

Lastly, thank you to my wonderful boss/co-author Christine for always being such a fan and such a big help. I couldn't do this without ya!

Now…go read!

It didn't make sense. It just didn't add up.

Those were the two sentences Hiccup kept muttering to himself all afternoon as he flipped through pages and pages of numbers and receipts.

He'd sat in the same chair at his large wooden desk with his hands in his hair staring down at the books in front of him just trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

He sat there so long he didn't realize the sun had gone down.

He sat there so long he'd missed many different texts and phone calls.

He didn't even realize Astrid had walked in the room, taken off her extremely uncomfortable nude-colored heels, and plopped down on the large couch behind him.

Astrid sighed - more than happy to not only be home but to also be sitting down - as she lifted and placed her swollen feet on the white ottoman in front of her.

She clasped her hands together, resting them on top of her now distinct round bump that was even more defined by the tight-fitting floral dress that she definitely wouldn't fit in this time next week.

"Hiccup," Astrid spoke up when he still hadn't once looked her way, "how was your day?"

No reply.

Astrid furrowed her brows, "Hiccup?" She called out again, trying to get the attention of the man crouched over the desk.

Still nothing.

Astrid spotted a pen on the end table next to her. She grabbed it, bit her lip, and carefully concentrated on his head, "Hiccup!" She repeated again - this time a lot louder - while also throwing the pen that smacked right against the back of his head before landing on the hardwood floor behind him.

Hiccup jumped in his seat, "Ow!" He cried out before turning around to face his amused wife with an annoyed scowl as he rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"You haven't once looked up from those papers since I walked in the door." Astrid pointed out.

He glanced back at the mess scattered on his desk, "Right...yeah, sorry, it's been a hell of a day."

"What happened?" Astrid asked, concerned.

Hiccup sighed, gripping the bridge of his nose because it was the only relief for his pounding headache. "We...the orphanage...ran out of money."

"What do you mean? It's all gone?"

Hiccup nodded. "I sent Fishlegs out to grab a few things and when he came back empty-handed, he told me he didn't have enough money in the account to buy all the items on the list, which is crazy because I was so careful…" he picked up the paper in front of him and pointed at the highlighted number, "I made a record of everything."

Astrid stood up and walked over towards her distraught husband, taking the paper from his hand. "Did someone spend money without you knowing while you were gone?" She asked while glancing over the detailed and organized spreadsheet.

Hiccup shook his head. "I made sure that Fishlegs ran every single purchase by me beforehand."

"Could someone have gone behind your back?"

Hiccup just huffed and shook his head.

She handed the paper back to him, leaning back against the edge of the desk. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I have a meeting with Parliament, along with the man in charge of the funds for our different organizations tomorrow morning."

"Are you talking about Grimmel?"

Hiccup thought for a moment, "Yeah, that's him..." he trailed off, noticing the way Astrid gnawed on her bottom lip, "why?"

"I've only met him a couple of times, but my dad can't stand the man."

Hiccup raised his left eyebrow. "And that's surprising?" He asked, only because Ragnar Hofferson not being fond of someone wasn't exactly a breaking news story.

Astrid snickered. "Okay, you have a point there." Her soft smile turned into a hard line when she noticed Hiccup picking at the skin around his fingernails. "Are you nervous?"

He tilted his head, trying to figure out what she meant. "You mean about the meeting?"

"Yeah."

"How'd you know?"

She grabbed his hands that were resting in his lap, stilling his fidgety fingers. "This little nervous habit of yours is also one of the first things I noticed about you."

He gave her that dorky half-smile, the one that also came with an equally as dorky comment. "Oh, so it wasn't my charming good looks?"

"Don't change the subject."

Hiccup looked down at their clasped hands. "Right, sorry."

"Why are you nervous?"

"You know I hate speaking in front of all of them." He muttered, never meeting her eyes, and obviously not telling the full truth either.

"I know, but you've done this dozen of times now," she took her hand and placed it underneath his chin, tilting it up so he'd look at her - the one way she knew she'd get him to tell the truth, "so, why is this any different?"

Her piercing blue eyes always served as his truth serum. Forget the many different bottles of crazy concoctions that he saw in those absurd sci-fi movies because one look in the prettiest color he's ever seen and he was always spilling the beans. "What if they blame all of this on me or my poor planning or not being responsible enough? What if they think I messed up...what if I did screw up?"

Astrid dropped her hand from his chin. "You didn't, Hiccup. I've never seen someone so passionate about anything the way you're passionate about helping those kids."

She gestured at the hundreds of papers covering every inch of the desk and even some of the floor around their feet. "You've worked so hard...just look at all of this. There's no way you miscalculated. I've sat and watched you go over everything a thousand times."

"But what if I did?"

It didn't surprise her that he was still hung up on the idea of him screwing everything up. He worried about every little thing for so long that eventually, even the tiniest issue would become life or death. "So, who cares if you made a mistake? Just because you're the Prince of Berk doesn't mean you aren't allowed to make mistakes."

Hiccup nodded, thinking her words over in his head, waiting for a moment before replying. "Yeah...I guess, but what do I tell them? How do I explain myself?"

"You tell those egotistical men that you've had a lot on your plate. You tell them you almost died...you remind them that you're about to be a father."

And just that word alone made this situation feel like it should be the least of his worries.

The nerves that went along with the idea of being a father grew right along with Astrid. The bigger her stomach started to get, the more nervous he became.

It was amazing that he was able to remember even half of the tasks on his to-do list with all the different things on his mind and all the sleepless nights that came along with it.

He grabbed her hand lying on top of the desk between them, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're right...thank you."

Astrid gave him a warm reassuring smile, one that also made Hiccup feel the same way - warm, reassured, and completely lucky to have her support. "And if they still don't listen...I'll be there to put them in their place."

Hiccup cracked a smile. "That'll teach them."

"Damn right it will." Astrid quipped, but then the light in her eyes and the smile on her face grew serious and hard once more. "Just do what I've told you a hundred other times...be yourself."

"I will." Hiccup spoke softly. "I promise."

"Good." Astrid nodded once, smiled, and pushed herself away from the desk.

Hiccup caught her wrist before she could walk away. "Where are you going?"

She gestured back towards the couch. "To sit down. I've been on my feet all day and they're screaming in protest."

Her feet hurt. Bad. They looked (and felt) like balloons that were filled with too much air and would just pop at any moment.

But instead of letting her walk back to the large and comfortable couch in the middle of the room, Hiccup pulled her towards him and into his lap. She was sitting right on top of his bony thighs before she even had a chance to pull away. "You have a perfectly good seat right here, you know." He smirked proudly.

Astrid's arm wrapped around his shoulders at the same time that his own arm made its way around her waist. "No offense, but this isn't near as cozy as our sofa." His skinny legs and bony knees were digging right into her backside and it was just as uncomfortable as her throbbing ankles.

"No, maybe not...but it's much better looking, right?" He winked and clicked his tongue.

Astrid groaned while trying not to smile and give him even more reason to be the biggest dork she's ever met. "Oh, God…"

Hiccup threw his head back and roared with laughter that echoed throughout their empty room. To Astrid, that was the sound of home. The exact thing she's been looking forward to all day.

And then the chuckles died down. "How'd your day go?" He asked her.

She took a moment to reply, waiting until her head was resting against his equally as bony shoulder. "It was alright...I'm just glad to be home."

Hiccup tightened his grip around her waist. "Did everything go okay?"

Astrid had spent her whole day shaking hands and sitting with people she's known for a while, but today...today was different.

She sighed. "Yeah...but I've been a patron of this organization for years and today was the first time that the main subject of conversation was everything but the importance of getting outside and being active." It was her first lone public appearance since the announcement of the upcoming new member of the Haddock family, and everyone had questions about it. "Our unborn child is more famous now than both you and I combined."

"What did they want to know?" Hiccup asked, taking his free hand and placing it over her growing stomach.

"Everything...when the baby is due, if it was a boy or girl, what we planned on naming it…" Astrid trailed off, not even able to remember a quarter of the questions.

"We don't even know half of that stuff yet." Hiccup spoke, and Astrid could've sworn he sounded frustrated. "What did you tell them?"

"That we wanted to keep some of those things private." That wasn't a lie. It was the cold hard truth. There were some things that just didn't need to be shared with the rest of the world.

"Good."

Astrid lifted her head off his shoulder to look him in the eyes. "You're okay with that, right? Keeping some things private?"

"More than okay with it." Hiccup replied. "I'm really glad everyone is excited, but I still want some things to be just between the family and just between us, you know?"

There were so many reasons she fell in love with the man whose lap she was sitting in, but one of those right at the top of that list was just how understanding he always was. It was also one of the qualities that she knew was going to make him such a wonderful father. "I couldn't agree more."

Hiccup replied with a soft and gentle kiss to the middle of her forehead. And Astrid would've loved for the moment to go even further, but then she got a big whiff of the smell that's been driving her insane since the second she took a seat in his lap.

Astrid pulled away and wrinkled her nose. "Hiccup, you stink." He smelled like day-old sweat and dust and rotten wood, and her overly sensitive senses were just not having it tonight.

Hiccup turned his head away to sniff himself. He agreed...he really didn't smell great. "I'll go shower."

Astrid stood up. "Please."

"To be continued?" Hiccup asked as he also stood from his seat, stretching out his tight and sore muscles from sitting in the same position for so long.

"Sure," Astrid reassured as she watched him make his way through the doors leading into their dark bedroom.

She definitely planned on holding him to that because ever since Astrid had hit her second trimester, she'd not only had more cravings for all sorts of ridiculous foods but also for her very cute husband.

The same cute husband who, while taking a shower, noticed his wife standing in front of the bathroom counter - her dress off and wearing a thin and short silk slip that highlighted not only her old curves he knew so well but also the new curves too.

The ones that grew more and more defined each week.

The ones that made him sit there on his removable shower seat and stare for longer than was probably necessary as the hot water hit his back.

Even through the fogged up glass of the shower door, Astrid could see him ogling at her like some typical teenage boy who was too scared to walk up to the pretty girl sitting at the front of the class and chose to just stare at her instead.

And the love-sick boy was so distracted that he didn't even realize what she was up to when she walked over to the toilet and flushed it - causing scorching water to come out of the showerhead instead of the comfortable temperature it was at only a few seconds ago.

The yelp and loud clatter of shampoo bottles hitting the tile floor of the shower followed by a few curse words made Astrid laugh so hard she had to wipe a couple of tears away from the corners of her eyes.

But when her sassy and sarcastic husband still hadn't made any comment about her hysterical prank, she cracked open the shower door to check on him and was instantly met with a face full of warm water.

It didn't stop there, however.

Hiccup kept the showerhead pointed in her direction until there was no longer a dry thread on her - and until she was so soaked that she decided she may as well just join him in the shower too.

Hiccup didn't quite know what to expect when she stepped in.

He expected to be slapped over the head for not only drenching her but the entire bathroom floor.

He expected to be knocked out with one of the scattered bottles on the floor of the shower around their feet.

He definitely didn't expect her to hang the showerhead back on the wall and straddle his hips.

He really didn't expect her hands to tangle themselves in his dripping hair or her wet lips to press right against his with such force his back slammed against the wall behind him.

The growing fire in the pits of their stomachs was even warmer than the water hitting their flushed bare skin.

The way Astrid's lips tasted like the honey she always used in her tea made him crumble beneath her.

The feeling of Hiccup's hands exploring every inch of her body just made her eager for more. Eager to get even closer. Eager to become so close that every ounce of her would soar, turn into a puddle beneath his passionate touch, and swirl down the drain with the rest of the water.

Maybe it was something about the moment in general that made her pounce on him like a cat with a mouse. It was fun and lighthearted and it took away all the stress of what greeted them on the outside of the steamy bathroom.

Or maybe it was something about the way they were both laughing that reminded her of a time when things were still fresh and new. It was the way they both continued to laugh as Hiccup lifted the article of clothing - that was keeping them from being as close as possible - over her head while pressing a trail of kisses from the edge of her jaw back up to her already swollen lips.

Whatever the reason was, they were both completely satisfied with the way their evening had turned out.

Laughing together.

Enjoying time alone together.

Forgetting all the meetings and the questions and the numbers, even just for a few moments...together.

Hiccup's heart was pounding. His sweaty hands kept tugging at the navy tie wrapped around his neck. The nerves that filled his stomach increased the longer he stood in his spot at the head of the room while watching the members of Parliament find the way to their usual seats.

Then everything grew quiet.

Hiccup glanced over at the seat to his right. The spot where his wife sat. He watched her nod once - it was a simple gesture, but one that spoke hundreds of words of encouragement.

He remembered everything she said to him last night.

He's done this many times before.

The hours upon hours of time he's sat at that desk in their living space is just proof that none of this was his own mistake.

And if everything else fails, just be himself.

Hiccup swallowed the thick lump of nerves gathered in the very back of his throat before leaning his face closer to the microphone and finally speaking to the dozens of people who were all staring right at him.

"Good morning…" Hiccup cleared his throat. "Thank you all for joining me on such short notice."

And then he made eye contact with Grimmel. The most important man in this room to him right now. The only one that could truly explain why he suddenly found himself without any funds to complete the project he's worked so hard on.

His long face and wild grey hair made the tiny hairs stand up on the back of Hiccup's neck. There was something about his lanky appearance and his slow movements that made him uncomfortable and even a bit scared to voice his next round of thoughts.

"I gathered everyone here today because the orphanage rebuild has somehow completely used all of its provided funding-"

A snicker from the tall man with the features of an animated movie villain rang throughout the round room, distracting the Prince.

Grimmel raised his hands in defense. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry, but I speak for all of us when I say we expected this meeting." His voice was scratchy and deep and added to his already eerie appearance.

Hiccup opened his mouth to reply, but the young woman to his right cut him off. "What's that supposed to mean?" The Duchess was standing with a hand on her hip and giving Grimmel her infamous stink eye.

Grimmel kept his defensive stance, "Nothing...it's just...we all expected a mistake like this. It's nothing against you, your Royal Highness, but all of this," he gestured to the grand room around them, "is still new to you."

A chorus of hushed whispers and faint nods made their way throughout the room, a majority of the room seeming to silently agree with Grimmel.

Hiccup felt his shoulders slouch. They still didn't trust him to do a good job and were probably all making bets on the side on how long it would take before he was to screw up again.

He still had a long way to go before they were confident he'd make a good leader.

And Hiccup still had a long way to go before he felt the same way about himself too.

Astrid scoffed beside him, bringing him back to the present. "I can't believe this…" she spoke with a scowl written all over her face.

Hiccup placed his hand upon her shoulder and cut her off before she could give the older man a piece of her mind while also speaking the language that shouldn't be spoken by someone with her royal status.

The single firm nod and the appreciative look he gave told her that he was thankful for the support but that he could do this.

And as horribly as Astrid wanted to tell the man with the long pointy chin everything that was running through her mind, she sat back down anyway, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting to pounce the second the need arose.

Hiccup turned back to face the crowd, looking solely at Grimmel. "I understand, which is why I'm doing everything I can to fix this..." Hiccup spoke calmly, glad that the shakiness in his voice didn't seem to make itself known. "And why I'm standing here asking to see the books."

"The books?" Grimmel asked as if he had no clue as to what Prince Henry was talking about.

Hiccup nodded once. "That's right. I know you have records of each account with all the funding each charity receives annually. All I'm asking is to take a look at the official documents."

Grimmel bit the inside of his gum. "Why do you need to see the actual records? It's not your job to handle the accounts, it's mine."

Hiccup didn't fully understand why he needed to explain his reasoning, but he did anyway. "I just need to make sure I'm not missing anything."

Grimmel argued further. "We gave you plenty-"

"So, there is more money?" Hiccup prodded, cutting the older man off.

Grimmel broke eye contact for the first time since he spoke up, unsure of what to say next and realizing he misspoke.

Hiccup took a deep breath. "Look," he rested his hand firmly on the wooden table in front of him, "I really don't want to have to be the kind of ruler who harshly orders someone to give me the information, which is why I'm currently standing here asking as nicely as I know how."

And then it was silent - so silent that the click of a woman's heels could be heard echoing down the hallway outside of the room.

This conversation turned away from Parliament as a whole and ended up being between two men who were currently staring one another down like they were in some dramatic Western film. The only thing missing was the cowboy hats and the hands on their holsters; ready to aim at any moment.

This hesitation just admitted that something was off without any official confession spoken.

Grimmel was a smart man. He was never stupid. He was sly and someone who knew his way around systems and numbers and even people, which is why he knew that Prince Henry would never give up. The determination behind his piercing green eyes - that fully reminded him of the King - told him that much. "Yes, sir," Grimmel spoke painfully.

"Thank you." Hiccup replied, still not fully trusting the man who had his hands clasped tightly in his lap.

Grimmel left then. He never said one more word. He stood from his seat and slowly made his way out of the large double doors, while determined to head to his desk to hide all the evidence.

And Hiccup may have been pretty new and still really unsure about many things, but he knew when someone was lying and he was absolutely certain that Grimmel was.

Ohhh….soo…we got a new character…some new conflict…and what did you think about that hiccstrid? ;)

I'm really excited about everything planned and I hope y'all are too!

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and never be afraid to leave a comment! Thanks for reading!