Astrid always loved the dim light shining through the windows on summer mornings. The warm air wafting through the room meant that she didn't have to light any candles to see what she was doing or to warm up the house before breakfast. There seemed to be infinite reasons to love summer, not least of which was the fact that today happened to be very special.

The Haddock matriarch resisted the urge to fling the covers from her body and leap out of bed with gusto. Her husband, who was still asleep, wasn't the sort of person who appreciated this behavior regardless of the season or the particular day. She had learned this the hard way on the first morning of their marriage. The first of many difficult lessons she would learn in the next nearly sixteen years.

But today wasn't the day to think about difficult lessons. They could do that any time. Today was the day to celebrate the best and worst day of her life, of Hiccup's life. The day everything had flipped upside down for the young couple, the day their horizons expanded and their lives became much richer than either of them could imagine.

In other words, it was Finn and Adrianna's birthday.

Astrid couldn't believe it had already been 15 years since had received the shocking news that the baby she'd been preparing for since the beginning of her marriage was actually two babies. 15 years since she had first held her son and watched Hiccup desperately and successfully revive her daughter. In her entire life, she had never again felt the rush of love she'd had when everything had calmed down and she was finally holding the babies she had carried since just after she had gotten married.

And now those babies had gained over a hundred pounds each, had learned to walk and talk, had outgrown the need for diapers (thank Thor), had gotten their own dragons, and had experienced some of life's greatest joys and its most crushing tragedies. But that was all part of growing up, something both Finn and Adrianna did way too fast for comfort.

Knowing that Finn would be more open to waking up at dawn, Astrid tapped on his bedroom door before entering. Her son was sprawled on the bed, his soft snoring quite audible in the silence. Astrid smiled at the memory of Stoick making some of the same grunting snores when he would spend the night after a particularly rough day watching the twins. How very like his grandfather her Finn was becoming.

"Morning." she said softly, kneeling next to her son as his eyes fluttered open. "Happy birthday."

"Mmmmf." Finn groaned before a large yawn. "Morning, mom."

Astrid kissed his forehead. "Anything in particular you want for breakfast?"

"Not really." Finn replied as he sat up and stretched. "Your cooking is always delicious."

"Laying on the sugar a bit early today, aren't you?" Astrid grinned as her son rolled his eyes.

"Nah, I'm just a lucky guy to have a mom and beautiful and talented as you are." Finn said quite seriously.

"All right," Astrid sat down in a nearby chair and crossed her arms, "what do you want to ask me?"

"Ask you?" Finn got out of bed and ran his fingers through his matted, messy red locks. "Do I need a reason to compliment my own mother?"

"Finn..."

"All right," Finn laughed and held up his arms in mock surrender, "I guess there is one thing..."

"Yes?"

"Can I come a bit late to the party?" Finn asked quickly as if he'd been bursting to say this since he'd awakened. "A few of the guys and I are racing our dragons and that always takes a few hours once we get going."

"Is that so?" Astrid sighed deeply.

"Come on, Mom. Anna would probably love to have her own party for once, even if it's just for an hour or two." Finn pleaded, his blue eyes widening to resemble those of Terrible Terrors begging for table scraps. "And it's my birthday." he added hopefully.

"Oh..." Astrid grinned at the adorable expression on Finn's face. "All right. But don't miss it. Your dad won't like that."

"No, I imagine not." said Finn, carefully concealing his scowl at the mention of his father. "You're the best, most beautiful, most amazing mom ever." the teenager quickly hugged his mother before patting her on the back. "But I need to change clothes so..."

"Of course." Astrid stood up and kissed Finn's forehead again. "I'll make pancakes."

"You're the best!" Finn called as his mother left the room.

"Don't you forget it!" Astrid called back just before she shut the door.

Xxx

It had happened again.

Adrianna should have known it wouldn't last. Two months without a single incident, now that was a record. Perhaps it had been the excitement of Brandyn's impending arrival or the anticipation of Svala and Tuffnut's baby that had kept her mind out of its usual circular thoughts and feelings. She supposed that, on some level, she may never know. But the all too familiar fear awakened her far too early for comfort and, yet again, she found herself lying in bed, covered in her own sweat, with her heart pounding in her ears.

Eleven and a half years ago. It had been eleven and a half years ago, she thought irritably as she slowly rose and made a face at the damp strands of hair slowly coming unstuck from her pillow. How could she still feel like she was three years old at the mercy of a woman who was nothing but dust by now? Why did she live in Adrianna's memory, constantly popping out at her as if she was some kind of sick, recurring practical joke?

Adrianna was not three years old anymore. It seemed ridiculous to have to remind herself of that fact as she rolled off her bed and reached for a towel. She would need a bath. She always needed a bath after nights like this.

After grabbing her towel and her clothes for the day, she tiptoed down the stairs and was relieved not to find anyone on the way down. She quickly slipped into the washroom and shut the door as carefully as should could. She swiftly locked it and hurried to the window to whistle for her dragon. Lily came bounding forward as if she'd been waiting for Adrianna's call.

"Hey girl," Adrianna cooed as she affectionately patted Lily on the nose. "Another rough night. Will you give me a hand?"

Lily knew the routine by heart now. Her human would slide the wall sideways to admit her, draw the curtains, put water into the bathtub, and then Lily would heat the water. After that, Adrianna would peel off her sweaty pajamas and settle into the bath, always making the same kind of groaning sound when her body was immersed in the hot water. Today was no exception but Lily had the funny feeling it was a special day. The extra bounce in her human's mother's step was a clear indicator of... something.

"Thank you, Lily." Adrianna breathed as she slowly got to work rubbing soap on her body. "You're a lifesaver."

Lily made a crooning noise and plopped down next to her human. Adrianna smiled at her as she now scrubbed her hair with the flowery substance she preferred. Lily loved that scent and dearly missed it now that Adrianna had stopped wearing hair flowers. But she supposed that her human wasn't the cute little girl she had once plucked off the ground and attempted to carry away. Growing up was a positive development, not a negative one.

As Adrianna soaked in the tub, she heard someone descend the staircase next to the washroom. The step-thunk was a clear indicator of who was now awake and moving around. Hiccup was walking toward the kitchen and speaking cheerfully to someone, though his words were too muffled to hear. The Haddock girl sank lower into the bathwater. She didn't want to deal with him today, especially not after the night she'd had.

If she had to be honest with herself, Adrianna knew Hiccup wasn't to blame for her problems. At least, not in a direct way. He was indirectly to blame for her green eyes, clumsiness, and sarcastic tone that made people who had known her father as a teenager snicker at how alike they sounded. She even, according to Gobber, could pull off a lot of the same facial expressions. Being a miniature female Hiccup was becoming a rather irksome reputation on its own, even if she and her father didn't have other issues.

"You know... people can only be pushed so far. You know that as well as anyone. But if you keep this up, if you keep hanging onto this, you're going to end up alone and unloved. That's what happens when you let things like this consume you. Every minute you hang onto this, you push away people who love you. One day, there won't be anyone left. Don't let that happen."

It seemed like those words had a tendency to echo in her head as if her brain were a giant, empty chamber every time Hiccup entered her thoughts. As she bathed, she ran through the age old argument in her head.

Was she hanging onto what had happened? Adrianna bit her lip and furrowed her brow as she concentrated on this conundrum, her bath forgotten. She didn't ask for the nightmares or the occasional panic attacks. That wasn't dwelling onto her ordeal, that was being unceremoniously thrown back into it at random. But would those episodes really keep her from her own father's love? Her family's love?

She hugged her knees. Her father was an amazing man and she... well, she was nothing. How could she ask for the love of a man who had, by his own admission, every intention of revoking it if she failed to stop this from affecting her. How could she prove that she was worthy of the life he had saved when she was scarcely out of the womb?

As she finally remembered that she was still in the bathtub and the water was starting to get cold, she quickly got up and threw on her clothes. She poured the water out as best she could and, toweling her long hair, finally decided to enter the main room and face her family.

"Morning, birthday girl!" Astrid chirped the moment she came into view.

Adrianna started. It was her birthday today! She'd completely forgotten! How in the world had she managed that? Her eyebrows shot upward for a second before she put on the most genuine smile she could muster.

"Hi." she said in a breathy voice.

Hiccup was sitting on the other end of the table, his expression unreadable as she walked over. She nodded once to him before sitting down in front of a plate piled with pancakes and smothered in fruit.

"Thanks, mom." she said as cheerfully as she could. "They look good." she looked around the room. "Where's Finn?"

"Outhouse." Hiccup replied, using his fork to pick at his own plate of pancakes. "Are you doing anything special with the girls? Or with Brandyn?" his tone was casual but Adrianna could detect a hint of impatience, as if he wanted her to interrupt him mid-sentence and assure him that she wouldn't be pushing boundaries with her sole male friend today.

"Brandyn and I are going to hang out before the party." Adrianna said, keeping her voice as casual and steady as she could. "That okay?"

"Yeah." Hiccup smiled at her but she could see the concern in his gaze.

"I have returned!" Finn burst through the door, still flinging water off of his newly washed hands. "What did I miss?"

"Your sister's here." Astrid gestured to Adrianna.

"If I were you, I'd avoid the outhouse for a while." he said to her as he sat down. "It's not pleasant."

Adrianna made a face. "You're disgusting."

"I can live with that." Finn grinned. "So are you going to sulk like you did last birthday?"

"No." Adrianna huffed, slightly annoyed at his tone. "I'm going to spend the day with my friends."

"Ahh. Sulking again." Finn placed an enormous bite of pancakes in his mouth. "Ooo sho rihihaba!" he added, spraying the table with crumbs.

"Finn, for Thor's sake, don't eat with your mouth full!" Astrid snapped irritably at her impolite son.

The Haddock boy swallowed so fast, his eyes began to water. "Then how am I supposed to eat?"

Hiccup and Adrianna both snorted with laughter as Astrid's face reddened slightly. "You know what I meant." she said, keeping down her own guffaws.

The family finally burst into fits of giggles. Astrid shook her head. Her slip of the tongue had already done more to cheer her husband and children up than anything else in a very long time. She was glad for it, even if it did mean that she'd probably be reminded of it for weeks to come.

Still laughing, Hiccup stood up and sauntered over to the door. He could have sworn he'd heard scratching on it, likely caused by a hapless Terrible Terror who was trying to get in and hadn't thought to use the window (an all too common occurrence).

"All right, little guy, come on- GAH!"

Hiccup leaped backward with a scream, his hand clutching his heart. A second later, the family could see the reason for the Haddock patriarch's surprise. A tall, curvy woman with very messy blonde hair had jumped out at him from the bushes next to the door. Her shrill, raucous laughter echoed around the house.

"Your face!" she squealed, stamping her feet with mirth. "That was amazing!"

Hiccup's heart was still pounding in his ears but he forced his voice to remain calm. "Camicazi, what in the name of sanity..."

His sentence was interrupted when Camicazi threw her arms around him and crushed him in a hug. He gasped for breath after she had let him go and pushed past him to see the rest of the family.

"Look at you!" she shrieked when she saw Astrid. "You're prettier than he said you'd be!"

"Who said what now?" Astrid fixed her husband with a suspicious glance.

"Oh Asgard no, it's not anything like that!" Camicazi shouted. "He's all yours, much too skinny for my taste anyway!"

"Astrid," Hiccup wheezed, gesturing to their surprise guest, "meet Camicazi, chief of the Bog Burglars. I told you about her."

"Bet he said I was a nutter!" Camicazi punched Astrid's arm, making her wince. "They all say that! Camicazi the Crazy, at your service, Mrs. Haddock! And you two!" she abruptly turned to the twins. "Ohhh he gets cuter every day, this one!" she pinched Finn's cheek in her long fingers. "And you!" she bustled over to Adrianna and grabbed her face in her hands. "Much too pretty! How is she this pretty when she looks more like you than Astrid?" she called to Hiccup, who still seemed to be recovering from the shock.

"Are you calling my husband ugly?" Astrid asked in a warning tone.

"No!" Camicazi cheerfully exclaimed. "I'm saying his face looks better on a girl! But that's no surprise! Most things do!"

"I'm inclined to agree with you." Hiccup said, shooting a grin at his startled daughter. "Nice to see you again. What brings you here?"

"Do I need a reason to visit my second favorite chief and his beautiful family?" Camicazi proceeded to wallop Hiccup on the arm, causing him to emit a pained squeak. "It's so lovely to see you again! And don't think I don't know what day it is!" she added as she pulled out two slightly squished packages from her rather sizable pockets. "I made Trader Johann tell me under threat of torture!"

"He was unwilling to tell you?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"No, I was just playing around." Camicazi replied. "Jumpy man, he was. Seemed eager to leave."

"I'm not surprised." Astrid muttered.

"Open it!" she squealed to Finn, who was having some issues tearing the papers off his oddly shaped gift.

Out fell a funny looking object with strings attached to a handle and going over a thicker area with a hole in the middle. Finn raised an eyebrow at the gift.

"I don't know what it is," Camicazi explained most unhelpfully, "but look!" she plucked a string a musical note emanated from it. "You can play music on it! I've been calling it a String Thing!"

"You could stand to learn a new skill." Hiccup said cheerfully as Finn plucked his gift a few times, looking quite intrigued.

"Open yours!" Camicazi commanded, turning her attention to Adrianna. "I made some of it myself!"

Adrianna tore the wrapping off of a book with no title. She opened it up and looked slightly disappointed to find no words in it.

"Oh don't look like that!" Camicazi chirped. "It's for your own stories!" she promptly threw a handful of charcoal sticks at the girl with gusto. "See? Now you can tell stories and they'll last forever! Or you can write your own stories about that spaceman! Seems like a silly idea, writing about characters that aren't yours, but I bet you could make up so many of your own, everyone forgets they all aren't yours!"

Adrianna thought wryly that no one would ever read a story that mixed established characters with someone else's new characters unless that someone was exceptionally talented. She immediately began to consider the kinds of characters she'd add to the spaceman's vast universe. Or perhaps, she thought with a start, she could write a fictionalized account of the adventures of people she knew.

"Thank you, Camicazi." she said with a smile, giving the woman a one-armed hug.

"It was nothing!" Camicazi shouted back, making the family wince at the sudden noise. "Now why don't you," she punched Hiccup's other shoulder, "show me around?"

"Why not show her around, Finn?" Hiccup nudged his son in the ribs. "Since you keep staring at her."

Finn, whose bright blue eyes had been fixed upon Camicazi, bounded over and held the door open for her. "I've got a little time to kill."

Camicazi grinned in amusement at the teenage boy and walked through the door. As Finn started to go through it behind her, she turned around so suddenly, the boy nearly bounced off her sizable bosom.

"I'll be seeing you later, Mr. Hooligan chief!" she shrieked before turning around and running to her dragon, who was growing playfully at Thornado just outside. "Come on, Blockhead!" she called to the Nadder, whose head was oddly square shaped now that Hiccup got a decent look at it from outside the open door.

Both dragons took off. Adrianna stood at the doorway watching them for a moment before Lily nudged her back. She turned to her parents.

"Can I go?" she asked, giving them a pleading stare. "Brandyn's expecting me soon."

"Your party is at two!" Astrid reminded her. "Don't be late! And stop by home so you can pick up your bra, I'll be done adjusting it by then."

Adrianna's face went a deep shade of scarlet. "Mom!"

"Your dad knows you're a girl." Astrid said dismissively. "Go on!"

Adrianna hightailed it out of there so fast, she resembled a green and brown blur. Hiccup began to clear the breakfast dishes as Astrid got out a sewing kit and one of Adrianna's bras.

"Do you have to do that at the table?" he asked, feeling rather awkward.

"Why does she keep needing adjustments?" Astrid asked no one in particular. "I wore this bra at 15 and it wasn't tight at all."

"Astrid..." Hiccup's face was beginning to resemble his daughter's moments ago. "I'm right here."

Astrid sighed, resigning herself to her work. How in the world did Adrianna continue to outgrow her old shirts and bras at such an alarming rate. Hofferson women were curvy, definitely, but they were also fairly slender. It was almost as if...

"This is your fault." Astrid said suddenly.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her. "I... what?"

Astrid suddenly got up and strode over to her husband's helmet. "I've been staring at this while fixing her clothes for weeks, how did I not see it?"

"See what?"

"You!" Astrid poked him in the chest. "You've been wearing half a breastplate on your head for years! This is all you!"

"What does my helmet have to do with- oh..." Hiccup took a step back, his face finally succumbing to a scarlet hue. "Well... technically this is my mother's fault."

"How convenient that she can't do this herself." Astrid mumbled.

"Well I'd offer but I really doubt Addie would appreciate that." Hiccup shrugged. "I'll be going to the Great Hall to oversee decorations. That'll take forever."

"And I'll make the cake after I'm done here." Astrid said, focusing on her sewing again. "But don't think I won't make you start mending some of our daughter's shirts."

"I'll be happy to do it." Hiccup kissed his wife on the cheek before walking out of the door and hurrying toward the village, Toothless at his heels.

Xxx

Erick hated beads. No, he despised them. They were tiny holes that he had to loop through stubborn strings that didn't want to cooperate, and on top of that, he had to pay close attention so he kept the color patterns correct. He'd learned the hard way that messing one bead up and discovering the error an hour later was pure torture. He liked to tell himself that the job made the day go faster but that was a lie- it was so tedious, the day dragged on.

Another saddle for a little girl nearly finished and he was ready for lunch. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled impatiently and he let out a huff of frustration. Quickly counting the strung multicolored beads one more time, he noted that the saddle wouldn't be finished for at least another ten minutes.

"Watcha doin'?"

Erick jumped, scattering beads across his desk. He slammed his hands against the end of the string, cutting off the beads' escape. He huffed and sent a glare up to his girlfriend, who smiled down at him cheekily.

"I was trying to finish this chore of a request very soon, but now it looks like it'll take me about...oh," Erick swiped his finger along the less beaded string. "Another half hour."

"Sorry..." Taryn remarked sheepishly. "Surely you're exaggerating though, it couldn't take that-"

"Oh, so now you're an expert on beading?"

"I happen to enjoy it very much, thank you!" Taryn rested her hands on her hips. "Grandma Ingerman asks me to do lots of beading for purses and-"

"That's great, babe," Erick rubbed his eyes. "but I can't go anywhere until I finish this saddle, so if you don't mind waiting..."

Taryn glanced at the beads scattered across his desk and littering the floor around their feet. She smiled wide and pulled up a stool next beside his.

Erick raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing?"

"I'm starving, Larson. I'll help you finish then we can get some grub."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to."

"You should go enjoy your break in the sun before the ladies call you back!"

"Are you really denying my help?"

"Yes! No-"

A deep voice cleared behind them and Erick ducked his head. Taryn twisted on her stool to see Horst poking his head in from the main room. "As adorable as you two are, I think Mr. Larson can finish that saddle in silence, yes?"

"Sorry. Should I leave?"

"I don't care if you help, but you can goof off on his break."

"Yes, sir."

The duo scrambled to pick up the beads scattered on the floor and began to put them back on the string in earnest. Erick was actually very thankful for her help because it made the job seem like less of a chore with her shoulder brushing against his or her fingertips occasionally poking him in the ribs. He jerked away and loudly whispered at her to stop. She grinned and poked him again.

Erick rolled his eyes, still whispering. "You're so immature."

"Sh, work!"

"I'm working!"

"You're not supposed to be talking."

"You talked first. Gah!" Erick clamped his mouth shut after his sharp outburst. Taryn's shoulder shook with suppressed laughter. "Gods woman, stop poking me!"

Horst's voice echoed from the front: "Do I need to come back there?"

Silence reigned once more. Taryn sneaked a glance at Erick, which he ignored, trying not to grin. The dimples on his face were hard to ignore. Taryn leaned over and quickly pecked his cheek before stringing the last few beads in her hand. She watched Erick catch his bottom lip between his teeth as he also strung the last few beads and tied a knot.

"Whew, finally!" Erick smiled at her. "Thanks for helping!" He jerked away from her probing fingers, nearly falling off his stool. Taryn jumped off her stool, grabbed her bag, and ran out the front door. "Oh its on!" Erick snagged his satchel and tore after her, ignoring Horst's huffs of disapproval.

Taryn stole a glance over her shoulder and yelped in a panic when she saw Erick gaining on her. She tried to run faster but Erick finally caught her elbow, stopping them and yanking her to a stop. "No, no, no! I'm sorry-" She grappled with his hands, trying to stifle her laughter.

Erick fought back his grin feigning frustration. "You don't sound very sorry!"

"I'm sorr-" Taryn's mock apology was lost in her uproarious laughter that echoed across the square, catching the attention of many villagers in the square. A few snickered at the teenagers having an epic tickle battle, rolling in the dust and not caring that they were getting filthy. Taryn finally screeched through her struggles, "Okay, okay, OKAY STOP!"

Erick finally let up, standing and breathing hard with a wild grin on his face. He hadn't laughed that hard in... a long time. It felt good. "That's what happens when you poke a man too many times. You can't win a tickle battle, not with a man who has a four nephews."

"Yeah, yeah," Taryn sat up gasping, her face red and auburn braid in shambles. Erick held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. She snickered, patting his tunic, "You look terrible now."

Erick spoke before thinking. "And you look like a hot mess." His eyes widened and a blush rose up his face almost instantly.

Taryn giggled. "A hot mess, huh?"

"Urgh..." Erick buried his face in his hands. "That's not what I meant..." His head snapped up. "Not that it's not true! I mean...wait-"

"Larson, do you need a shovel to help you dig that hole deeper?"

"I..." Erick sighed in defeat. "Shut up."

Taryn laughed, grabbing his sleeve. "Come on, I'm starving."

"You're starving? I'm a growing man and it's half past noon and you're starving?"

"Shut up, Larson. Let's find some shade. Break's nearly half over already!"

Erick tittered and jogged after her towards a shady barn just outside the square. He sighed contently, wishing he had more days like this. He felt light and carefree, despite the few glances they were receiving from adults. He wanted to keep this lightheaded feeling forever and bid all his troubles goodbye.

But alas, life simply didn't work that way.

Xxx

"That's impossible!"

"Why?"

"They would have to float!"

"So?"

"So it would just get waterlogged and sink to the bottom!"

"Well fries float!"

"That's because they're fried in oil. Oil floats on water!"

Brandyn ignored the laughter of the Great Hall, completely caught up in the discussion he was having with the birthday girl herself. He and Adrianna had been talking ever since she had entered the room and, as usual, he was getting the upper hand.

"Exactly, so if fries float in oil and oil floats on water, then fries are going to float on water." Adrianna continued, her plate of food forgotten in the ferocity of their verbal sparring.

"Nani, we're not talking about fries, we're talking about bread dough." Brandyn reminded her, rolling his eyes.

"Well I'm just telling you, baking has nothing to do with how they're cooked. They boil the water in a big vat and the water cooks the dough while it floats." Adrianna gestured to the vat in question as she spoke.

"That would be poaching! You don't poach dough, they're not called poachels, they're bagels; they're baked, get it?" Brandyn held up a bagel and ripped it in half to show her its exact consistency for the sake of their conversation.

"If it's not boiled in water, it's just a roll with a hole." Adrianna said stubbornly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Oh yeah? Well think about this: if you drop dough into a lake, even if it's a boiling lake, it's just going to sink to the bottom. Now a doughnut, yes, that would stay buoyant for maybe an hour but only because it's been fried in oil." Brandyn picked up a doughnut and tossed it at Adrianna.

The Haddock girl opened her mouth to reply when she became suddenly aware of the hush that had fallen over her fellow Berkians. The large double doors had opened and all sets of eyes had turned to the entrance of the Great Hall. Smiles formed on everyone's face as they saw Finn walk in, the birthday boy finally arriving to his own party.

A chorus of "Happy birthday!" and "Hey, it's the birthday boy!" rung out through the hall. Adrianna cracked a small smile, sitting across from Brandyn and enjoying the bagel about which they had been discussing for the last several minutes. Hiccup and Astrid stood near the huge cake that Astrid had slaved over for nearly the whole day, sighing in relief as their son finally arrived to his birthday party. Sure, it was hours later than they had expected him, but at least he was there. Astrid was the first to walk over, smiling at her son and welcoming him to his own celebration.

"Happy birthday, son." she said cheerfully.

Finn fixed an unfocused and far too big grin on her. "Th-thanks Mom!" He facial expression didn't change, but he didn't move either.

Astrid stood in front of him, concern beginning to creep up on her as she wondered if her son was all right. She moved to touch him, but Finn simply started to walk into the party, his head high and still grinning.

Adrianna's small smile quickly faded, along with everyone else, and was replaced by a thin line on her lips. She set her bagel down and suddenly felt a bit concerned as she watched her brother awkwardly lean as he walked. It took her a minute to figure out what was going on but once she figured it out, her eyes widened and her face heated with pure embarrassment. She looked up at Brandyn just in time to see his lips descend into a frown. When she looked around the room, Finn's was the only smile there.

No one spoke as they watched the Haddock boy walk around the room, looking at all there was to see. The purple and green decorations everywhere, the stacks of fruity drinks, the huge cake in the center of the room, just waltzing around, never losing his smile.

By now, Astrid had watched her son walk almost halfway around the room, slightly slur, and never stop smiling. Her face grew from concerned, to slightly shocked, to disappointed, to slightly angry, to embarrassed. She was doubtful that she had ever had so many emotions rush through her at once while staring at her child. She glanced at the sea of faces, all frowning, including her husband. What a mess, to be standing here, watching her only son come to his shared birthday party, tipsy and not in any shape to be here. She almost wished he hadn't shown up.

She quietly walked over to her husband, who was looking embarrassed himself. "This is unacceptable," she whispered as Finn had walked around almost the whole room. "There is no way that he is staying here like this. He's already embarrassed us, himself, and probably Adri."

On instinct, Hiccup glanced to his daughter, who was still sitting across from Brandyn, and could clearly see the look of embarrassment on her face as she watched her brother finally stop and smile serenely at everyone. He saw Brandyn's frown deepen, and as he looked around at the other faces, Hiccup's embarrassment only grew. Gobber stood near the side, disappointment etched in his features. In fact, most of the faces showed disappointment or disapproval. Hiccup felt his embarrassment color his cheeks as he saw the few teens and younger children who found Finn funny as he clunked around, only to be hushed by their parents. He could see Camicazi in the corner of the room, her blue eyes flashing with anger, which was just one of the many emotions Hiccup was feeling at the moment.

"We need to take him home. Now." After whispering it to his wife, she nodded and they both walked over to their son, hooking their arms under his and beginning to walk out the door, finally making it to the door and slipping out of the party.

They marched their son home, their faces both full of a mix of emotions as they moved. Finn slurred something incomprehensible and tried to break their grips, yet he never broke his smile and his head tilted over a bit. As Hiccup helped his wife drag their son home, he could no longer deny Finn's state when he could see the pungent odor coming from his son that he could identify from anywhere. It was the sharp, sweet smell of mead and Finn had clearly had more than enough to intoxicate him. He only thanked the gods Finn wasn't completely wasted.

As Astrid caught sight of the Haddock household, her look of anger took over and her nose burned from her son's evidence of drinking. She couldn't believe her only son had the nerve to drink mead on such a special day and show up inebriated to his own birthday party, embarrass himself and his whole family. It was unacceptable, and when he woke up and got over the massive headache he would surely have, she would most definitely be having a talk with him.

Hiccup opened the door first, bringing his son inside and marching with his wife up the stairs until they reached his room and let go of Finn's arms. Hiccup opened his mouth to speak, but Astrid shook her head and let her son sit on his bed, finally breaking his smile. "What's the matter... M-Mom? Dad?"

Astrid sighed and looked down at her son, who was still slurring. "Finn, you're going to stay here and sleep this off while we go back and try to enjoy the rest of your sister's party."

She was clearly not happy and turned and walked out, Finn giving her a slightly crooked wave.

Hiccup looked at his son and nodded, as if agreeing with Astrid, and turned to walk out, but not before saying to his red-headed boy, "We are very disappointed in you."

He quickly walked down the stairs and through the front door as he followed his wife back to the Hall, feeling humiliated as he walked back into the celebration. Luckily, it seemed everyone else was back to chattering happily and enjoying themselves, and even Adrianna seemed to be back to normal,brandishing her bagel around and laughing as she talked with Brandyn. It seemed everything was back to the way it was, but Hiccup knew that under their smiling faces that they were all wondering about what was going through Finn's mind to make him decide to show up to his own party underage and drunk. He'd like to know that himself, honestly But as he saw his wife Astrid try to calm down, so did he, trying to enjoy the rest of the celebration for their daughter and the rest of the guests that were there.

Xxx

"Well, I can't say that it was my best birthday." Adrianna said as she walked hand in hand with Brandyn. "But it wasn't my worst. That's the sad part."

"Ahh, it's okay." Brandyn nudged her with his arm. "Finn's going through a rough time. I've gone through some stuff like that and I got better. He will too."

"I'm not so sure." Adrianna mumbled. "He's been like this ever since Benen died. Just... stupid. Him and his friends. Especially Cale. I can't stand him."

"I don't blame you." Brandyn shook his head. "That guy's a piece of work."

"Hey," Adrianna peered at the Haddock home's doorstep, "did you put this here?" she picked up a sizable, square parcel.

"No." Brandyn replied. "Why?"

"It's a present, I think." Adrianna eyed the purple flower tied to the package. "For me."

"Well whoever left it obviously didn't know you don't wear flowers anymore." Brandyn watched her unwrap the present tentatively.

Adrianna yanked off the last bit of paper and let out a scream of excitement. Out fell a book with a picture of an older man, a young woman, and a blue box. She began to jump up and down.

"What?" Brandyn raised an eyebrow at this bizarre explosion of emotion.

"It's the next spaceman book!" Adrianna squealed. "It's... how did they get it? It's brand new! I didn't even know it was out yet!" she looked up at him. "Are you sure it wasn't you?"

"I really wish it were. It's making you giddy." Brandyn laughed. "But alas, no, it wasn't."

"It was probably my dad then." Adrianna stared at the book, furrowing her brow. "But no, he wouldn't just leave it on my doorstep."

"Matilda?" Brandyn suggested.

"She got me the book about the seven people trapped on an island." Adrianna reminded him. "I can't imagine who got me this but I want to thank them so badly!"

"Well maybe you've got a secret admirer." Brandyn frowned. "In which case, you've got to keep your wits about you."

"Maybe." Adrianna said dismissively.

"But at least this gives me a challenge." Brandyn grinned and took Adrianna's hand. "One year, I'm going to give you the best birthday present ever. That's a promise."

"You don't have to." Adrianna's cheeks went a bit pink.

"I want to." Brandyn let go of her hand. "Now go find out what happens in your book. Happy birthday, Nani."

"Thank you!" she kissed him on the cheek and immediately opened the book up.

"Nani-"

WHAM!

Adrianna had run headlong into the front door. Brandyn doubled over in silent guffaws but she seemed quite unabashed. Rather than look up from her precious book, she felt around for the handle of the door and pushed it in. When she had closed it behind her. Brandyn's laughter ceased.

Who was this mysterious gift-giver? Was he a secret admirer? Was it a she? Who would give Adrianna an anonymous gift in the middle of the night? He had a sneaking suspicion but if it was who he thought it was...

Brandyn began to stomp away, looking furious. No one was going to get in the way of him and Adrianna. Not on his watch.