Oh the things she did for other people.

It wasn't enough that she felt bloated and crampy from the moment she'd woken up that morning. Her boyfriend still wanted to keep their date on its normal schedule. Naturally. And no one could say no to Brandyn's deep blue eyes.

It was a while before the older boy finally let her go but Adrianna took the incredibly uncomfortable flight back to her home, hoping only to curl up with something hot on her abdomen and take a nap. She hated this time of the month.

However, she was surprised to find her brother running out of the house the moment it came into view. Wondering what it was he wanted (and hoping it wasn't something that would cause her to exert any physical effort), she landed and dismounted.

"Where have you been?" Finn demanded the second her feet touched the ground.

Any other day, Adrianna wouldn't have felt snippy. Today, however, was a different story. "Why does it matter? Do you need to know my location every second of the day?"

"No, I..." Finn took a deep breath, which was something he'd taken to doing when he caught himself losing his temper. "Anna, dad collapsed today."

Adrianna felt like her heart had been dumped in a bucket of freezing water. "What?"

"He's okay." Finn assured her. "Stable. He'll be fine by Monday, Mara says."

"I have to go see him." Adrianna made a move to mount her dragon but Finn grabbed her elbow.

"No, he's fine. Mara says he needs rest. She won't let you in."

"I don't care." Adrianna cried, her heart racing. "I wasn't there and I should have been and I want to say I'm sor-"

"Anna, seriously!" Finn growled. "He's fine. Don't bug him. Just go in and take a rest. You look really tired."

Adrianna huffed but finally put her feet on the ground again. Lily looked at her concernedly and she gave her dragon a halfhearted smile.

"Go ahead to your pen, Lily." she whispered to the Monstrous Nightmare, giving her a kiss on the snout. "Be in soon, okay?"

Once Lily had waddled away, it seemed that no amount of heavy breathing could calm Finn down.

"We looked for you all day!" he snapped at her as they walked to the house. "You were gone! Anna, dad was asking for you! You cannot just disappear like that!"

"I'm sorry I disappeared, okay?" Adrianna's chest was tight. She hated the thought of her dad waiting to see her and her not showing up. "Really. I am. Brandyn just wanted some time together since it's almost his birthday!"

"If that tool dragged you all over the archipelago-"

"Since when are you so protective?"

Finn seemed temporarily speechless and, if possible, slightly embarrassed. "I... I'm not protective, I'm just... concerned."

"Well I make my own decisions." Adrianna snipped. "And I don't need you, Finn."

"You know what? Fine. Forgive me for caring about our dad." Finn held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'll just let you be all hormonal in peace."

Adrianna felt heat rising to her face, whether from annoyance at her brother's tone or the fact that he obviously knew tortures her body was putting her through she didn't know. Remembering that she'd left Lily still saddled up in her pen, she stomped back out the door. She dearly wanted to apologize to her dad. But at the same time, she trusted Finn's word that he was all right. So she went into the pen to tend to her dragon, sending a quick prayer that Hiccup would be okay and thanking the gods for a good day out with her boyfriend.

Xxx

Monday came at last and with it came Hiccup's freedom from Mara's house. Several villagers had been to visit him when he arrived at home but Cliff and Erick weren't among them. Cliff because he had to work all day and Erick because he had caught a bug and was stuck at home until it passed.

Cliff liked finishing work at the end of a long day. It wasn't so much that he disliked his work but it was hard to release his excess energy while cooped up in a leather shop all day. By the time Horst bade him goodnight, the Smedley boy felt like he might explode.

And with Erick out for the count with the stomach flu, there was a lot more work and thus, a lot more stress on poor Cliff's attention span. Of course, it was better to go to work just fine than to listen to Erick occasional retching at home. Nothing ruined a good day more than vomiting his guts out. For this reason, Cliff was going to sleep at his parents' house until Erick recovered. And, for whatever reason, he simply didn't feel like paying Hiccup a visit today. Perhaps tomorrow when he was feeling better himself.

As the boy walked home, looking forward to a home cooked meal from his mother, he played what had happened with Morgan over in his head once more. Why didn't she think of him in that way? Was it because he had grown so much that he could use Adrianna as an armrest? The wild curls he couldn't tame? His constant chatter? What was it that girls found so unattractive? These thoughts kept coming back in a nasty circle that just made him dizzy and more depressed. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he stared at his overly large feet as he walked.

Suddenly, he saw a second pair of feet in front of him. He stopped just short of stepping on them and looked up into the light blue eyes of Dana Sanders.

Cliff and Dana didn't know each other very well. The girl had a reputation for her promiscuity, most notably being caught doing gods knew what to Cale (and Cliff certainly didn't want to know). She also mercilessly mocked Adrianna and Inga whenever the opportunity arose. Needless to say, Cliff wasn't too keen on the girl and by the looks of things, she didn't much like him either.

"Cliff Smedley." she said with a smile that made Cliff's sense of unease skyrocket. "You know, you and I never talk. Isn't that a shame?"

Completely bewildered, Cliff stared at her in silence for a few tense seconds before responding. "Uhh I guess. Why, did you want to talk?"

Dana's small hand suddenly grasped Cliff's wrist far more tightly than he was expecting from a girl who stood an inch shorter than Adrianna. Before he could protest, she yanked him into an alley away from the prying eyes of the villagers. Cliff tripped over his feet trying to keep up with her, a detail he was surprised she didn't point out.

"So I saw you and Morgan the other day." Dana said in response to his unasked question. "Shame. You two would have worked if you had more experience."

"What?" Cliff asked, his mouth agape. This was weird.

"Well obviously Morgan is looking for a guy who knows how to please her." Cliff became suddenly aware of Dana's hands on his chest. He squirmed away from her touch, feeling extremely uncomfortable as she continued talking. "It's not your fault. No girl has been willing to give you the chance to practice." her hands had reached his stomach and were still moving downward.

"I'm... I'm not feeling comfortable with this." Cliff whimpered, his heart pounding in his ears. "Dana, I just want to-"

"Come on, Cliff, you're a guy." Dana let out a seductive laugh. "All guys want it. Just let me lead."

"We don't even know each other." Cliff turned his hip sideways and tried to wriggle out from his awkward position wedged between Dana and the wall behind him. His body wasn't cooperating. Frozen in shock, he continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "L-look, I'm good, thanks."

"I just thought I'd do you a favor." Dana whispered, getting on tiptoe so she could breathe in his ear. "You know, so you'll know what it's like to be with a woman. Since no one will have you."

Before Cliff could respond, he was silenced by her lips ferociously moving against his. His heart left his chest to pound in his ears, his body frozen in horror. Never in a hundred years would he ever have thought he would share his first kiss with Dana Sanders. But this could hardly be called a kiss. Taking advantage of his shock, Dana thrust her tongue through his parted lips.

Feeling returned to his body when he felt Dana's fingers caress a part of his body he definitely didn't want her touching. He finally gripped her shoulders and pushed her backward.

"N-no, I don't want-"

"Oh come on, Cliff. Do you want to be a man or not?" Dana sounded irritated, a far cry from how she'd sounded a few seconds ago.

"Not like this." Cliff breathed, trying to slow his heart rate. "I don't want-"

"Shut up." Dana interrupted before slamming him against the wall again and fingering his belt. "This... is the only... chance... you'll ever get." she breathed between kisses. "Enjoy it."

"Stop." Cliff wailed, shoving her back again. "Just stop!"

Dana growled, finally obeying his desperate command. "Fine. I was just trying to do something nice." she abruptly turned from him and stomped away. Just when Cliff thought he might be able to move again, she turned her head to shout, "You can throw yourself at any girl from now to Ragnarok and none of them will ever have you! You might as well just die a virgin."

Cliff didn't realize he was holding his breath until the pressure built up too much in his chest. He exhaled heavily and gasped a few times, still reeling over what had just happened. It was like a cold fist had closed over his heart. He knew Dana was truly the worst sort of person to be telling him such things but he couldn't help but feel hopeless. She had said exactly the words he himself had dared not say aloud lest they become true.

It wasn't as if Cliff felt like he needed to have sex to feel complete. He knew there were other, more important, things to focus on in life. But to die alone? With no one to love him? He'd feared that plenty of times.

He was happy for Finn when he saw the Haddock boy bantering with Inga. He loved to see them together. And, of course, he lived for the moments Erick and Adrianna seemed to pick up on the obvious sparks flying between them. They had it together. They had someone to love.

And Cliff didn't.

Would sex with Dana have been the only contact he'd ever have with a woman? It was beginning to seem that way. Everyone around him was partnering up. But he felt lost, alone. No girl so much as looked at him that way. And maybe no girl ever would.

Cliff leaned forward slightly, trying to get rid of the sensation of Dana caressing his front. He felt violated by her wandering hands. It was a moment of stunned silence before he noticed tears silently dripping down his cheeks. Feeling embarrassed, he wiped his face and walked home as quickly as he could, his eyes fixed on the ground. Berk had never felt like such a terrifying place.

Xxx

Inga marched through the woods at a steady pace. She inhaled a deep breath of air, finding she enjoyed the solace. Mara had insisted she take the rest of the day off. Had she argued? Absolutely (as in of course)! She never wanted to stop working. She found it distracted her from the stupidity of life's issues: mainly petty teenage drama and her own physical problems.

Mara called it a "seizure". They still weren't sure exactly what it was or what caused each episode. They seemed to be very sporadic. Fortunately, the last one had occurred almost a year ago. A few small seizures had come and gone here and there, but she was beginning to hope that they were truly gone. She didn't want to get her hopes up. A lot of her pent up stress resided in that very fact that, no matter the time of day or night, no matter what she could be doing, her body might uncontrollably seize at any moment.

Inga huffed in annoyance, shoving her bangs off her forehead in agitation. She hated feeling like this. None of her friends seemed to have this problem. The few people with strange or chronic health problems were elderly. Working at the healer's hut herself, she knew many of the village's varying needs. But no one had these seizures like she did.

No 13-year-old should have to deal with these things, she thought bitterly. Of course, she kept busy. She occupied herself at work as much as allowed, and thoughts strayed to him a little more often than was desired. She told herself day in and day out how ridiculous it was, to like a boy at all, let alone that boy. Not that she liked him. He'd certainly never give her a second glance anyway. No boy would once he found out about her physical ailments. It was just like Dana had said a while ago: nobody wants a girl who can't control her own body.

Of course, Inga knew she didn't need a boy to be happy. She was still pretty young. There would be plenty of time for that later, assuming anyone wanted her. Oftentimes Inga sat with a big group of people of varying ages, which meant he was almost always present, or at least nearby. She could always hear him laughing or goofing off. In reality, she hated his guts.

From Alton Brand to Mara to Erick Larson, everyone always thought it appropriate to tease her about him. If she didn't know any better, she'd think their parents had drawn up a contract upon her birth and they were secretly engaged for all the chit chat going around! It's not like they ever hung out. He was way out of her league, always busy and totally attractive. But he was also a big, stupid beast of a boy who was proud and always teased her when he did take notice of her existence.

Inga frowned, pulling on her long hair. She couldn't believe this. She wasted so much time brooding over all these stupid, trivial things. She hated the guy anyway! What did she care? One day he'd find a nice girl and settle down, probably have a few kids, and she'd still be concocting medicines in the back of the healer hut.

Shoving a bush out of the way, Inga carefully picked her way through a thick grove of trees. She stepped over a decently sized rock and-

SLAM!

Inga screamed and backed into a tree trunk, staring up in horror at the battle axe protruding from the trunk she'd just been standing beside. She turned toward the clearing ready to shout at her assailant, anger bubbling in her chest. Her eyes widened in complete shock instead.

Speak of the devil. Fearless Finn.

The Haddock boy stood there with wide blue eyes and teeth clenched in an unspoken "oh my gods, I could have killed you" expression. But it wasn't his mere presence that had rendered her speechless. His bare arms and chest did that.

Having two little brothers and a head honcho for a father (not to mention all the boys in the village and working at the healer's), of course she'd seen a shirtless boy before. But she'd never seen Finn shirtless. From toned chest to strong core muscles, broad shoulders to cinched waist, the poor girl could only stand and stare in surprised shock.

That's when she noticed his mouth moving as he moved closer. Inga flushed, tearing her eyes from his sweaty, well-muscled skin.

"-sorry, I didn't hear you coming! Are you okay?" Finn carefully helped her to her feet as if she were fragile. A flare of anger ignited in her chest at the idea, but it was completely snuffed out at the sudden front row view of Fearless Finn's muscled form. She knew he was strong; he always had been after all. But... dang. She hadn't known he looked like this under a shirt.

"-ga?"

"What?" Inga snapped, looking up to see his eyes searching hers worriedly.

Finn repeated himself slowly. "Are you okay?"

Her heart rate doubled. He'd never sounded so concerned for her before. Legitimate fear was in his eyes, perhaps due to the accident with Erick. He'd become a lot more sensitive to injuries the last year and a half. Aaaaand here he was, standing in front of her in all his shirtless, well-muscled glory and she couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, she jerked away from him and closed her eyes, trying to focus on something (ANYTHING) other than his affinity for hot qualities.

Her ire instantly returned. She was standing here gaping at the stupidhead when she should be tearing his arms off, tying him up like the bull he was, and dragging him into the village for his incompetence!

"You're SUCH an idiot, you know that?"

Finn blinked. Then a rogue smirk eased its way onto his face, effectively turning her insides to jelly. "Aaaand she's back. Welcome to the land of the liv-"

Inga, being a bit shorter than him (the big buffoon), threw her fist back and socked him right in his wide open diaphragm. Finn gasped and doubled over. "THAT'S for not paying attention to where you're throwing your weapons!" Inga cried, shaking out her hand. If her father hadn't taught her how to punch ages ago, she might've broken her hand on those abs.

Finn laughed halfway through his wheezing. "Dang girl, you've got a fist!"

"And that's another thing!" Inga screeched. "Why are you..." So hot? Inga shook her head once to clear it. "Shirtless?"

"Umm it's almost seventy degrees out here," Finn said, standing and yanking his axe out of the tree. Inga watched in fascination when his bicep and shoulder muscles momentarily tightened. "What's your excuse?"

Inga blinked, glancing down at her sweater tied around her waist. She shrugged, "Alright, so I forgot you- it... outside was hot. Is hot. Ugh gods!"

Finn smirked and breathed an easy laugh. He turned and marched toward a stash of stuff nearby. Inga fought the blush on her face. Finn wasn't stupid and she'd almost just slipped up. He was not allowed to tease her like this. This was ridiculous.

Donning a scowl, Inga marched after him and ignored his curious look. "This is your crap?"

Finn snorted. "Yes, thank you. That is indeed my crap."

"It stinks."

"Sorry, it's kind of workout gear; it's not meant to smell good." Finn snatched a shirt off the ground and yanked it over his head. Unfortunately for her, it was a baggy, open-throated tunic. She internally groaned, wishing she could smash his brains in now for being so beautifully cruel.

"Well maybe you should wash it."

"If you hadn't noticed, we're a little walk away from my house. That would take half the day."

Inga rolled her eyes. "Where's Zap?"

"Workout zone," Finn said, waggling a finger around them. "Dragons don't do weapons, remember?"

"Is the sky blue, too?" Inga snarked.

"Not always."

"I suppose you're not always the sharpest knife in the drawer either then?"

"Ouch," Finn snickered, buckling a belt around his waist. He grabbed a satchel and slung it over his shoulder. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

Inga shrugged. "Mara booted me. Told me to take the rest of the day off."

"Huh, sounds nice," Finn nodded, marching backwards toward the trees. "Wish all of our employers were so gracious. Speaking of, I left something at work so it was nice to see you, I'm sorry I almost... um... ya know, almost killed you. Ah..." He paused. "You won't... ya know... tell your dad about that will you?"

Inga smirked. If anyone could scare Fearless Finn, her daddy could. "For now."

"Oh, how gracious of you," Finn sighed. "Welp, I'll check ya later."

The teenager disappeared through the trees, leaving the Jorgenson girl standing alone in the clearing with a heap of smelly armor and weapons. She really didn't want to spend another minute with the boy. She couldn't stand that infernal smirk and deep voice that dripped with sarcasm with nearly every comment. But even more, she didn't want to be alone in the woods. And if her parents found out, they'd both get it. She glared at the pile of armor before stomping her foot once and running after him.

Inga caught up with him quickly. "Hey!" Finn glanced over his shoulder at her. "You can't just leave me alone in the woods!"

Finn snorted. "You were in alone in the woods long before I showed up."

"I showed up! Don't act like the hero here!"

Smiling, Finn gave her a look. "Oh so you don't need me to take you home-"

"I don't want you to take me home!" Inga cried indignantly.

"You said not to leave you alone in the woods."

"To which I said-"

"That makes you the damsel in distress in this story, sweetheart." Finn interrupted unabashedly.

Inga ground to a halt. "What was that now?"

"Which part?" Finn turned and walked backwards, a grin on his face. "The damsel in the distress or sweetheart?"

Inga stamped her foot with an indignant squeal.

"Well that's attractive."

"Hey! Come here so I can knock your lights out!"

"Not gonna happ-" Finn froze in place suddenly, which was lost on Inga.

"Oh it's happening, right here right-" Finn suddenly spun and pushed her behind a large boulder. "AH FIN-mph!" Inga panicked slightly when he closed his hand over her mouth.

"Shh!" Finn whispered from behind her. "Inga, hold still. Look."

Inga stilled, looking in the direction his other hand pointed. At first she didn't know what he was pointing at. All she saw were tree trunks and a big white and orange curtain- wait. Inga gasped when the large white wing moved and a massive dragon walked into view on its haunches. She pushed back into Finn's chest when the creature moved passed, stopping only a few times to sniff the air. It raised its head and roared once, the surrounding rocks and tree branches vibrating slightly.

"It's okay," Finn whispered faintly, carefully removing his hand from her mouth.

In truth, Inga wasn't afraid. But the thing was huge and she'd never seen one before. Growing up around dragons taught her to stay on her toes, but if it hadn't been for Finn's instincts and survival skills, she might be dinner right now with all her previous squawking.

"What is it?" Inga asked, leaning forward.

"Typhoomerang," Finn murmured. "They used to live here when our parents were teens. Dad trained one once."

"This thing?" Inga whispered hoarsely.

Finn's mouth tilted in another smirk. "Dragon Conqueror, remember?"

"No kidding."

"...to be fair, it was a baby."

Inga turned a glare at him, then froze. Finn loomed just over her shoulder, his face mere inches from hers; this close, she could see the reddish stubble on his face and could practically count the freckles dotting his cheeks.

Finn's eyes met hers and stayed, unblinking. Inga couldn't breathe. She'd never been in this situation before. What should she do? Turn away? Wait for him to move away first? The longer he stared at her, the more awkward she felt. However, Inga saw him swallow hard just before he ducked his head and stepped out from behind her.

"It's gone," Finn said calmly. "We should get back to the village past the creek though. We don't want to upset him."

"Y-yeah," Inga nodded once. She walked passed Finn resolutely, unwilling to look in his big blue eyes again. She felt some comfort having him at her back though, especially with a monstrous dragon around somewhere. If anyone could protect her, it was Finn.

A surge of annoyance struck her heart again. She shouldn't need protection. She wanted to protect herself, by herself. But everyone on the island knew the rules concerning Inga Jorgenson: Keep an eye on her. She didn't want people to worry about her. She just wanted to be a kid with no worries. But life didn't work that way.

"All right." she trotted alongside the older boy, keeping in pace with him quite well considering their height difference. "I'll let you walk me back the village if you're a good boy."

Finn grinned at her. "Ooookay, whatever you say, Beauty."

"Don't call me that!"

Finn snickered. "All right. Your wish is my command."

"I wish you'd shut up."

"Aww come now." Finn stuck out his lower lip in an aggravatingly adorable way. "You wouldn't want to miss out on all my life's wisdom, would you?"

"What part of shut up don't you understand?" Inga snarked.

"Oh fine. I'll shut up." Finn mimed zipping his lips.

Once they got to the village, Inga nodded once to him before scampering off. Finn smirked at her retreating back. That girl was going to drive him crazy one day and he found that he rather liked it. As he walked past the forge, he noticed a light on. This was strange since Gobber usually was home at this time. So was Brandyn still there?

When he walked up to the door, he heard the older boy's voice.

"Don't you think I've tried?" he was saying in a frustrated tone. "It's not as easy as it looks!"

Finn pushed open the door. "Come on, Gobber, give the guy a br-"

Brandyn whipped around when Finn had walked in but, to Finn's utter confusion, Gobber wasn't there. In fact, no one was there.

"You all right, man?" Finn asked concernedly. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh so I can't talk to myself without the third degree?" Brandyn snapped. "Just trying to think out loud."

"That's not what it sounded like." Finn furrowed his brow.

"Well that's what it was so get lost!" Brandyn shouted, grabbing his things and stomping out of the forge.

Finn watched him go in silence. Something about Brandyn's behavior was alarmingly familiar. He remembered stomping off to deal with his anger by himself. But what did Brandyn have to be angry about? And was he as far gone as Finn had been back then?

Xxx

The next morning, Adrianna pounded down the stairs, still attempting to pin her hair up. Little Ava was a hair puller so she made it a habit not to make her long blonde hair accessible for the toddler. The Haddock girl simply adored Ava but she didn't much like trying to untangle sticky fingers from her braid. According to Astrid, Adrianna used to yank on handfuls of her mother's hair and Stoick's beard when she was little. Maybe this was a sort of universal retribution.

By the time Adrianna was ready to get to work, everyone was usually out of the house. The girl loved being able to set her own work schedule and sleep in when she wanted. The other babysitter on Berk, a girl in her twenties named Ellie, was a morning person, which meant the girls could meet up once a week and set up who would do which job depending on the time of the job and the preference and schedule of each girl in question. This meant Ellie got to finish up in the early afternoon and Adrianna could go until late at night and sleep all morning. It was perfect really. Well, perfect except for one thing.

Adrianna jumped when a loud knocking suddenly rang through the house. Putting her last pins in place, she rushed over to the door and opened it up.

Then she stopped and stared.

Someone was standing there, a large bouquet of flowers blocking his face. Adrianna giggled when he pulled the flowers down to reveal the light brown hair and dark blue eyes of her very handsome boyfriend.

"Hey, babe." he said smoothly, making her knees go a bit weak.

"Hi." she breathed. "Gods, they're beautiful. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion." Brandyn leaned in and kissed her chastely on the lips. "Nothing wrong with showering my girl in affection."

"Aww." Adrianna kissed him again, this time more passionately. "You're the best."

"Nothing is too good for my beautiful Adrianna." Brandyn grinned at her for a moment before handing her the flowers. "I wish I could stay but I can't. Lunch is almost over and it took me forever to pick all these. I hope they make you as happy as you make me."

"You can't stay?" Adrianna asked, feeling a wave of disappointment.

"We can meet up this evening." Brandyn offered.

"I'm with Ava until eleven."

"Ah. Okay. Well definitely sometime this week." Brandyn turned to walk away when he stopped in his tracks for a moment. He then turned around. "You know, I do have a little something more for you. Do you think you can meet me at the barn we kissed in during the next dragon race?"

"But that's in a week." Adrianna sighed. "We can't meet sooner?"

"I'm a busy guy. Aside from dinners, I'm pretty swamped. Just meet me there, Nani. You won't regret it." Brandyn blew her a kiss before walking down the hill to the village.

Adrianna's heart fluttered as she shut the door. Flowers from Brandyn and a surprise date? She might as well have been in Valhalla. Since when was he so affectionate?

It didn't take long for her to place the flowers in water and finish getting ready to leave. She didn't have to be at the Thorston's until two so she had a bit of time to kill until then. And she knew exactly how to spend it.

Her leather shop boys always had lunch at exactly noon. And when she had the time, that was her favorite place to be at that time. So she walked down the hill and into the village, expecting to see Erick and Cliff kidding around and cracking jokes about each other.

She was surprised when she got there and saw no one sitting outside the shop. That was strange. She pushed open the shop door and walked inside. Saddles hung on the far wall, the most extravagant ones on display. She was momentarily distracted by a lovely saddle with purple beads woven through it (Erick's work, she could tell), when she heard a small thump inside the back room where her boys usually worked. She went back to investigate.

Cliff was sitting by himself, his eyes focused on his poorly constructed lunch on the table. This was very odd. Cliff eat by himself? Sure, it would be totally normal if it were Erick but Cliff was not the sort of guy who liked to eat in a small office away from other people.

"Hey." Adrianna ventured, making Cliff jump.

"Oh! Hey! Didn't see you there." He attempted to smile and failed.

"Sorry for startling you. What's up? Why aren't you regaling Erick on your tales of past adventures or plans to build a house out of nothing but licorice?"

"I never planned to build a house out of licorice!" Cliff said almost indignantly. "Not that it's a bad idea. Actually it's pretty good. Wish I'd thought of it."

"What's up?" Adrianna sat down in Erick's chair. "Is Erick still sick?"

"Yeah." Cliff replied. "I mean he'll be fine. But he says he's still feeling bleh."

"Is that why you're upset?"

"Who said I was upset?" Cliff asked almost accusingly.

"No one." Adrianna replied quickly. "But you're not out looking for someone to talk to. That's a red flag right there."

"I used to be really quiet." Cliff huffed. "I can't be really quiet again?"

"Not in my experience, no." Adrianna smiled. "You talk a mile a minute. Cliff, seriously, what's wrong?"

Cliff sighed deeply and turned back to his lunch. "Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing."

"You wouldn't understand." He growled in a surprisingly harsh tone. "I mean of all people, you really wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Adrianna leaned in slightly. "I'm a good listener." Cliff shook his head. "Well I'm not leaving until you tell me."

"And you're going to annoy me as much as I'd annoy you if the roles were switched, is that it?" Cliff shook his head and turned to her. "Am I handsome?"

Adrianna was taken aback. This was not what she'd expected to hear. "Uhh..."

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Cliff turned back to his food. "I'm just uhh."

"No, it's a surprise you even asked that." Adrianna scooted her chair forward. She hated seeing her friend this down. "Of course you're handsome."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better. Because you're really sweet." Cliff gave her a half smile. "But you know I'm not."

"Where's this coming from?" Adrianna asked. "Please, just talk to me."

"I have crushes all the time." Cliff said slowly. "But girls don't like me. And yesterday, I... I had a... a conversation. With a girl. And she said none would. Like me, you know."

"What?" Adrianna wasn't sure if he was joking but the idea was simply ridiculous. "What girls is she talking about?"

Cliff shook his head, apparently overwhelmed with emotion. Adrianna scooted her chair forward so she could hug him from the side. The Smedley boy seemed to appreciate her affection and put his head atop hers.

"I'm sorry." he whimpered. "I've just been thinking about it. And I know I'm annoying. And I talk too much. I know you guys roll your eyes at me and smirk at each other behind my back. And I don't care when you do it because I know I'm a handful." he sniffed loudly. "So why would any girl love me like that when there are people out there like, you know, Finn, who is really good looking, and Erick, who is really smart? I'm neither of those things."

"Cliff, hey." Adrianna pulled back her head so she could look at him. "I love you. Maybe not in that way. But you're just talking about the things that make you you. You chatter all the time, so do I! And I'm not good looking. Gods, look at my mom. She's so tall and beautiful and I'm so short and awkward."

Cliff breathed a laugh. "And you have two guys completely in love with you."

"One guy."

"Oh come on, Anna!" Cliff spoke in an uncharacteristically harsh tone as he broke away from her. "If you haven't seen how Erick looks at you, if you haven't noticed him watching you from the leather shop as you walk around town, if you haven't caught him blushing when he realizes he's been staring at you when you're not looking, you're obviously not paying attention!"

"I..." Adrianna wanted to say something but there didn't seem to be any words. "I just... what?"

"What girl looks at me like that?" Cliff asked in the same harsh tone. "Look at me! I'm a... an overlarge twig with crazy hair and scary eyes and a personality so annoying that girls actually feel sorry for me for being so undesirable!"

"I... I can't really help you!" Adrianna finally exclaimed. Cliff went silent, slightly surprised. "I wish I could. But I can't. It's not that you're not handsome or desirable. But it's not up to me to make other girls feel that way. Maybe you just haven't found her yet."

"No." Cliff sighed. "Maybe she doesn't exist."

"Cliff, come on-"

"Yeah, you can't imagine it. Him not being out there for you. Because of course you and Erick or heck, I'll be generous, you and Brandyn will end up together." Cliff ranted. "Tell me where she is, Anna. Tell me where the girl of my dreams is. Because no girl on Berk wants this. And frankly, I don't blame them."

"Oh Cliff, now listen to me, you big goofball." Adrianna said in a similarly sharp voice. "I don't want to hear that talk. Yes, you're single now. But that's okay. You don't go looking for the right person, the right person'll find you when you're out doing things you like. You don't think I met either Brandyn or Erick by moping around in the back room of the leather shop all day, do you?" Cliff shook his head. "No, I was traumatized and at the healer's when I met Erick and I almost drowned after I met Brandyn. Sometimes bad things happen so better things can follow. So come on, Cliff. You know better than that. You just need a little more time."

Cliff sniffed. "I don't know if time is going to fix this, Anna."

Adrianna nudged his shoulder. "Yeah it is. Just be you." she got out a handkerchief and handed it to him. "Now where's that goofy smile we all love?" Cliff gave her a withering gaze. "Well I'm not leaving without it."

"Stubborn."

"Haddock."

Cliff gave her a half smile. "Okay, fair enough."

"And there's my big goofball." Adrianna breathed a laugh. "Handsome goofball too."

"N'aww, you're just saying that." Cliff's smile widened but he shook his head. "But I'm afraid it's only going to be two guys chasing you, sis."

"As it should be." Adrianna nodded. "Love you, bro."

"Right back at ya." Cliff stood up and finally gave her a genuine smile. "Ahh come here."

Adrianna stood up and the two hugged each other rather tightly. Cliff loved Adrianna hugs. She really was like the sister he never had. And he truly did want to see her and Erick live happily ever after together.

But even after what she'd said, he still couldn't help but wonder if there truly was a happily ever after for him.

Xxx

Dana Sanders didn't like being away from people. This was why she didn't like walking aimlessly through the woods. But when she had a reason to, she didn't mind in the slightest.

She'd never met anyone quite like him. He was the sort of person you only met once in a lifetime. And Dana felt lucky to have him wrapped around her little finger. He was so smart, he was practically a genius and his ideas were fascinating. He was a passionate, dominant lover that made her weak at the knees no man ever could before. Dana didn't think she was the type to desire a commitment, not when there were so many men out there to have fun with, but if anyone could come close to making her commit, it was him.

There was, of course, a snag. They could only be together once a week because of his schedule. And because of his sniveling brat of a girlfriend. But they made the best of the time they had.

When she finally saw him, she breathed a sigh of relief. So he'd managed to shake that little whore he was dating. Good.

"Hey you." Dana said, walking up and putting her arms around his waist. Gods he was sexy. "Long time, no see."

Brandyn Anderson grinned cheekily at her. "You saw me last week."

"Yeah but once a week is not enough." Dana sighed. "Aren't you going to do something about her?"

"I told you, I'm working on it." Brandyn grumbled. "And we're not here to talk about her."

"Aww, I just wanted to know where you've been." Dana moved her hands under his shirt and up his bare chest. "Though I don't have to worry about her putting out."

"She will." Brandyn smirked. "I'm working on it."

"And if I were the crazy monogamous type, I'd be so jealous right now." Dana gave his chest a little squeeze. "Okay, what is it?"

"What's what?"

"Don't give me that." Dana huffed, pulling her hands out of his shirt and waiting for him to face her. She knew that look in his eye. She knew everything about him. "What's up?"

"It's just been a bad week." Brandyn shrugged. "Berk's driving me mad."

"Look, if that little bimbo's getting clingy-"

Brandyn growled. "Don't blow it, Dana!"

"That's not what you said last week."

"You know what I meant." Brandyn rolled his eyes. "I'll get this sorted out. I always get what I want in the end." he breathed a laugh. "I'm not weak"

Dana leaned up so that he could feel her breath on his face. "Prove it." she whispered.

Brandyn's lips met hers. A second later, he felt her tongue poke through his parted lips and he returned the favor, basking in the moment and wishing it wouldn't have to end. But he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He was going to make the best of every second he had.