This is Berk.

We've had a relatively quiet year. The time has flown by and it's incredible how much our children have grown. Adrianna is slowly but surely healing from her ordeal. Finn has become more rambunctious than ever. But the biggest change has been in my father. He's turned into the best grandfather I could have asked for.

But we all should have known it wouldn't last. That horrible things tend to happen without any warning. It was a lesson we should have learned last year. And it's a lesson we'll have a hard time learning when the time comes to learn it again.

But I know we'll get through it. We always do.

Xxx

Astrid Hofferson Haddock was starting to get used to having extra time now that her children were slightly more independent. Outhouse training was finally over, Adrianna began to voluntarily play outside, and Finn was starting to figure out that following the rules resulted in a much more fun playtime. And with her father-in-law suddenly turning into the perfect grandfather, she actually had time to go flying by herself. For several hours, in fact. It was a luxury she should have appreciated a lot more before having children and she savored every second when she was airborne.

She touched down after a lengthy, albeit freezing cold, flight and looked out over the village. She didn't spot any of her family members in the crowd but this was not unusual or anything of which to be frightened. Her keen eyes spotted Helga Ingerman toddling about, her hand in her father's as they casually chatted with Mulch and Bucket. Moments later, she saw Snotlout emerge from his house, walking very slowly so that Inga, who was still a little bit wobbly on her feet, could follow him.

And then she glimpsed something bright red close to the ground. Her eyes followed it and Fearless Finn Haddock finally came into view, running as fast as his legs would carry him. Astrid looked over to the right, expecting to see her husband in pursuit, but she immediately spotted him talking to Gobber at the forge. So if Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the most gushy father Astrid had ever seen, wasn't chasing his son, then who was Finn running from?

The answer to this question pushed his way through the crowd seconds later. Stoick the Vast was gaining on the small boy, laughing as loudly as him. She watched him finally catch her son and lift him at least five feet into the air. Finn squirmed and giggled but Stoick didn't release him. An audible hiccup caused her to turn her head and spot Adrianna Miracle Haddock, her hand gripping the youngest Larson's, laughing at the sight of her brother being tickled. Seconds later, the little girl spotted her mother and she gasped in delight.

"Mommy!" she squealed, running at full speed so that Erick Larson nearly had his arm yanked out of its socket. "Did you like your flight?"

"I sure did!" Astrid replied, smiling in amusement at Erick, who was now rubbing his shoulder. "You and Erick having fun?"

"Uh huh! We built a snowman! Want to see?" Adrianna asked, letting her best friend's hand go in her haste to replace it with her mother's.

"I sure would!" Astrid replied, sliding off Stormfly. "Where is it?"

"At home. Come on!" Adrianna was hopping up and down in her excitement. "I wanted to show it to you first!"

"Anna did most of it." Erick added in a shy voice. "I just helped."

"I'm sure you both did a great job." Astrid assured him.

She looked over at her son again, who had apparently tackled his grandfather and was attempting to exact his revenge, and then back to her daughter, who was so excited, she hiccuped again. She barely seemed to notice the spasm seeing as it was an incredibly common occurrence but Erick smiled fondly. He was sure he would never get used to his best friend's hiccups but he didn't mind in the slightest. People were boring if they weren't at least a little bit unusual.

The Haddock home was slightly outside of the village, located close to the bridges that led to the Academy. It was Adrianna's clumsiness that necessitated the childproofing of the bridges but had she not taken her little spill, the village might not have been as safe as it became when the little Haddock twins were finally walking. It was for this reason that children were now allowed farther and farther out of town since safety wasn't nearly as much of an issue and so there were a few children in the Haddock front yard.

Two-year-old Gunnar Ingerman was toddling about in the snow and trying to create his own snowman next to Adrianna and Erick's. Astrid thought he was a bit too young to be wandering about on his own but since Mila Ingerman had been born the previous week, Ruffnut and Fishlegs had been understandably distracted. Hiccup and Astrid had been delighted when their prediction had come true and the villagers were beginning to call them the "baby masters." Neither of them were sure of why they were so good at being able to tell the gender of unborn children, especially considering the fact that neither of them had known that they themselves were expecting twins until Adrianna made a very surprising appearance just after Finn, but it was a fun trick.

Astrid gasped in delight when she approached the snowman, partially to make a bit of a show for her four-year-old daughter but, in part, because it was rather good for someone that young. The branches sticking out of its sides had several twiggy fingers and the rocks that made the eyes, nose, and mouth appeared to be carefully selected by either Adrianna or Erick. It was a work of art and Astrid was almost sad about its inevitable fate. She made a mental note to tell Hiccup to sketch it.

"This is wonderful!" she gushed, walking around the snowman a few times. "Wow, I'm really impressed! You two are going to be great artists."

"Like daddy?" Adrianna asked, her bright green eyes shining with excitement.

"Maybe you'll be better than daddy."

Astrid nearly laughed at the sight of her daughter looking almost awed at this possibility. The idea of being better than her father at anything was shocking considering how amazing and incredible he was in her eyes.

Stoick's footfalls became quite audible and everyone turned to watch him carry Finn to the Haddock house. His arms were around Finn's middle and the boy was hanging upside down, laughing so hard he snorted a few times. The grandfather deposited the child on the ground quite gently and Finn rolled over so he could stand up.

"That was fun, Poppy." Finn said breathlessly.

"It sure was. And how's my favorite granddaughter doing? Did you make that snowman?" Stoick got on his knees so that he could look Adrianna in the eye.

"Uh huh! Do you like it?" Adrianna asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

"That's the best snowman I've ever seen!" Stoick exclaimed, tapping her nose with a massive finger. Adrianna giggled.

"So all those snowmen I built growing up were just mediocre?" a voice drawled from behind the chief's head.

"No but your daughter has mastered three dimensional art." Stoick got to his feet and walloped his son on the back. Hiccup nearly fell over; both Finn and Adrianna snorted with laughter.

"Thanks, dad. The bruises from last time you did that were just starting to clear up." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Think of it as a badge of honor." Stoick strode forward and took a closer look at the snowman. "It's missing something."

"What?" Adrianna asked, looking slightly embarrassed for forgetting something.

Stoick took off his helmet and placed it on the snowman's head. Adrianna put both hands to her mouth and gasped dramatically.

"It's a snow Poppy!" she shrieked, leaping into her Poppy's arms and hugging him tight.

"He's missing a beard." Erick mumbled, looking extremely shy in the presence of the big village chief.

"By Thor, your friend is right!" Stoick took Adrianna's hand. "Why don't we get some twigs so we can make him a beard?"

Adrianna nodded and scampered off, Stoick in pursuit. She got as far as the edge of the woods before running back and grabbing Erick's hand.

"Come on, Erick!" she said as she rather forcefully pulled him along.

"Wha- okay!" he said, running behind his friend.

Hiccup eyed the small boy suspiciously. "I still don't like it."

"They're cute." Astrid nudged him. "And come on, how old is he? Six?"

"Six and a half. And she's not even five yet." Hiccup countered.

"She's almost five." Astrid rolled her eyes.

Hiccup sighed deeply. "Yeah, okay."

Finn tugged on his mother's skirt, looking a bit irritated at being ignored. "Why doesn't daddy like Erick?"

"Because daddy is afraid that Erick will take Anna away from him." Astrid replied.

"I am not!"

"Sure you're not."

Sometimes Finn didn't understand why his parents bickered like he did with Adrianna yet they always smiled when they did so. Almost like they enjoyed bickering. He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. Grown-ups made no sense.

Xxx

The snowman had been made into a very accurate snow-Poppy and the children had quite a lot of fun sculpting it so that it actually looked like their grandfather. Even Hiccup and Astrid got in on the fun. After an evening of exercising creativity and lots of laughter and hiccups, the family settled down in the Haddock house, a raging fire in the fire pit and a chicken dinner consumed. The dragons curled up on the hearth and were soon fast asleep. The twins were close to following their scaled friends in slumber.

Stoick looked fondly at his grandchildren, his grandson whose head was resting in Astrid's lap and his granddaughter who was curled up on Hiccup's, and felt like the luckiest man in the world. Ever since he had prioritized his family, his life had gotten much happier. He had been there for more of the little moments he had missed with Hiccup. He had never thought he'd like having a granddaughter but Adrianna had proven him wrong time and time again. And Finn made him laugh until even he had the hiccups on an almost weekly basis. He looked over at Hiccup and Astrid, who seemed quite happy, and had a sudden burst of inspiration.

"Why don't you spend the night at my house? Have some time to yourselves." he suggested, waving toward the door.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged smiles and Stoick rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what his son and daughter-in-law were planning. Oh, to be young and in love. He'd nearly forgotten what that had been like.

"That would be great." Hiccup replied after winking at Astrid. He slowly stood up and placed a half asleep Adrianna into her Poppy's lap. "I think it's their bedtime so just tuck them in and sleep in the master bedroom." Stoick raised an eyebrow at his son. "The sheets are clean." Hiccup said almost sheepishly.

"They better be." Stoick chuckled, though he tried to keep it quiet.

Holding hands, Hiccup and Astrid opened the front door to allow their dragons to leave first and then left their house, excited about having a whole night to themselves. Stoick picked up his granddaughter and took his grandson's hand.

"Time for you to get to bed." he told them.

It was remarkable how much exercise and a good meal could tire a child out. Stoick gently placed Adrianna in her bed. He handed her Snowy, her stuffed Night Fury (why she'd chosen that name for a black dragon was beyond him) and Mr. Gobcup, her favorite doll who was missing an arm and a leg and whose long hair had been chopped off when she decided it was male. Stoick couldn't fault the girl for creativity, that was for sure.

He then tucked his young grandson into his bed. He always liked the contrast between his grandchildren's rooms. Finn's was covered in greens and blues and blacks while Adrianna's was bright and colorful. They highlighted the personality differences between the two quite well.

Of course his son and daughter-in-law's room was still different. There were various scenic paintings that Hiccup had done over the years. It made him feel like he was sleeping outside. He still didn't quite like that but he rarely slept there so it hardly mattered. He sat down on the wool filled object his son had called a "mattress" and pulled the yak skin blanket his son had called a "comforter" over himself. He had to admit that his son's sleeping inventions were quite comfortable but he still thought it was a bit silly, almost as silly as the thing he'd called a "couch," an invention that had grown quite popular with the rest of the village.

It was completely silent now. The solitude was actually quite nice. Stoick almost wished he could move a little farther from the village. Sleep soon overcame him and he shut his eyes, allowing his mind to go blissfully blank.

Xxx

"Poppy?"

Stoick wasn't sure if he was dreaming the high pitched noise coming from not too far away but if he was, he wanted to continue his sleep. However this was to no avail as the pitter patter of little feet came closer to his head. He briefly wondered what time it was. He moaned, not quite awake yet. Was it morning already?

"Poppy?"

It was too dark to be morning. And the voice didn't sound like Finn's. Stoick could have sworn that Hiccup had told him that Finn was the early riser. What was Adrianna doing out of bed?

"Whassamatter?" Stoick mumbled.

"My tummy hurts." Adrianna replied with a sniffle.

Stoick slowly sat up and quickly lit a lamp next to the bed. Adrianna came into view, her face looking redder than it should. The chief put a hand on her little forehead. Warmth radiated onto his palm. Adrianna was definitely sick.

"Do you think you're going to throw up, dear?" he asked her, stifling a yawn.

Adrianna nodded and so he got out of bed and took her tiny hand, leading her downstairs where there was a bucket for times such as these. He had her sit down on the couch with the bucket in her lap. She looked very uncomfortable. Stoick wasn't sure how to proceed. When Hiccup had gotten sick at a ridiculously late hour, he usually put him in front of a bucket and shuffled off to bed. But Adrianna was a more sensitive child than his son had been so he sensed that this would not be the best approach.

"I'm going to make you some tea. That might make you feel better." he said in a gentle tone.

Adrianna nodded again and so he walked off to the cabinet and searched for the best herbs for an upset stomach. Though while he had his back to the girl, he heard a retching noise. By the time he turned around, Adrianna had filled the bucket and now looked thoroughly miserable. A strangled sounding hiccup came from her throat and Stoick knew from experience that this signaled floods of tears. He briefly thought of getting Hiccup. His son always knew what to do when Adrianna was upset. But the odds of Hiccup and Astrid being awake at this hour were slim and even if they were, he wasn't about to leave the twins home alone. By the time these thoughts had passed through his brain, Adrianna had placed the bucket on the floor and the waterworks were underway.

Stoick stared at the sobbing child. He had no idea what to do. Or even what to say. What had he done when Hiccup was in floods of tears at that age? Oh yeah. He got his wife. This was no longer an option and with Finn being the only other person in the house, he knew that the task of comforting the girl fell on him. Adrianna turned to look at him, her body jolting with hiccups, and Stoick had a feeling that now was probably the best time to do something.

"Do you... umm... still want that tea?" The man could fight off hoards of dragons or hostile Vikings with nary a scratch but a crying child made him feel completely helpless.

Fortunately for him, Adrianna nodded. Stoick lit a fire and placed a few herbs in a kettle before filling it with water. He now had to figure out how to deal with his granddaughter in the few minutes before the tea was ready. What would Hiccup do?

"Do you think you're going to throw up again?" Hiccup wouldn't have asked that but Stoick didn't want to have to wash vomit off of anything in his son's house.

Adrianna shook her head. Well that was some small comfort. Stoick took the bucket of sick and pitched it in the backyard so the house wouldn't smell. He then turned back to his granddaughter. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Can daddy come home?" she asked in a timid voice.

"Your daddy will come home in the morning." Which was about five hours away but Stoick didn't want to voice this realization for fear that it would distress the girl further. "How are you feeling?"

"My tummy still hurts and I'm hot and I want my daddy." Adrianna whimpered.

The kettle hissed. Stoick was very glad for the distraction. He poured some tea into a mug, added a little bit of cold water so it wouldn't be too hot for Adrianna, and handed it to her. She sipped it, adding her tears to the mix as she did so. This made Stoick wonder just how many tears she had consumed over the years. Considering her propensity for crying, the number was probably impossible to tabulate.

"Are you feeling any better?" Stoick asked after about a minute.

Adrianna nodded but she certainly didn't look any better. Stoick gently placed a hand on her forehead again and was dismayed to find it still hot. He was beginning to have the strong feeling that he would be awake for the rest of the night. But, he figured, he had made a promise to himself that he would spend more time with his family. He hadn't allowed any exceptions, like when he had no idea what to do. Slowly, he got up and sat down beside her, brushing her sweaty bangs from in front of her eyes.

He reminded himself that he was fortunate to have this opportunity considering the events of just over a year ago. He still felt twinges when he thought of it. As a matter of fact, though he would never admit it to anyone, he still dreamed about it. According to Hiccup, Adrianna's nightmares had finally ended about a month ago and her symptoms were rare.

But Adrianna was still alive, still sitting beside him, still hiccuping and drinking her tea. And Stoick knew that he had to do something. To say something.

"Do you want to hear a story?" he asked, thinking hard about which Hiccup story would be best for this occasion.

"What kind of story?" Adrianna asked between hiccups.

"About your daddy when he was a little boy. Do you want to hear about that?"

Adrianna had a hard time picturing her tall daddy as a little boy but she nodded nonetheless.

"Your father was a very curious child." Stoick began, having finally decided on a story he knew his granddaughter would enjoy. "And one day when he was, oh, I think about six, he was at the Great Hall by himself. Val and I were making him wash the tables as punishment for something else he'd done. I honestly don't remember what it was but he clearly wasn't happy about it. I was at the forge so I'm not sure what happened but your father says that he found a torch underneath one of the tables. Now I wouldn't let him carry one because I didn't trust him with fire."

"Why not?" Adrianna asked. She had seen her father set fires lots and lots of times.

"Because he had a tendency to drop anything he was carrying or trip over things. I didn't want him setting fire to the village. Mind you, he's done that a few times too but this was the first."

"Daddy set the village on fire?" Adrianna was shocked. Her daddy may be a little clumsy but he was always careful with fire.

"Not this time. He did come close a few times when he was a teenager but he'd never done it before at this point. Anyway, he found the torch and decided to light it with the fire from the fireplace. I think he liked fire for some reason. Now what happened after that is a bit fuzzy but I think he was swinging it around because it was a little too heavy for him and lit one of the tapestries on fire." Stoick sighed deeply, slightly amused at this memory. Raising Hiccup was the most difficult thing he'd ever done but now that it was over, these stories were beginning to become rather humorous.

"But they're not burned!" Adrianna was now beginning to think her Poppy was telling her tall tales.

"A few seamstresses repaired them a little while later. But you can still see some of the burn marks if you look carefully. Anyway, your daddy started screaming and grabbed one of the tablecloths to put out the fire. And then the tablecloth ignited and pretty soon it was a raging fire. I will never forget walking into the Great Hall and seeing him jumping up and down, trying to put out the fire. He even started blowing on it at one point." Adrianna felt Stoick shake with quiet laughter. "It really wasn't funny at the time but it sure is funny now."

Adrianna giggled and wiped away a few tears. "Did daddy get in trouble?"

"You daddy got in very big trouble. He got a spanking and he wasn't allowed to play outside for a few days. I told him not to play with fire and he disobeyed and nearly burned down the Great Hall."

Adrianna didn't like spankings but in this case, she thought her daddy had deserved his. Why he might have been burned up and then he wouldn't have been able to ask the dragon fairy for her and Finn! And then she might have been given to Uncle Snotlout and Aunt Heather or Aunt Ruffnut and Uncle Fishlegs! And then he wouldn't be her daddy! Still, the mental picture of her daddy (looking exactly the same, only smaller) running around and trying to put out a fire was very funny. As she hiccuped with giggles, she nearly forgot about how yucky she felt.

Hiccup and Astrid spent a leisurely morning cuddling before going back to their house to collect their children. They didn't want to leave Stoick with them for too long because they knew better than anyone that Finn and Adrianna could be quite the handful.

They walked into the front door as quietly as they could, just in case the kids were still asleep, and stopped in the doorway. Stoick was sitting on the couch, his head resting on its back and his eyes shut. Adrianna was leaning on him, fast asleep and looking quite peaceful. After taking a few seconds to make sure they were seeing what they thought they were seeing, Hiccup and Astrid tiptoed forward. Hiccup got down on his knees in front of his daughter and took her hand, squeezing it gently. Her little eyes fluttered open.

"Daddy." she said with a small smile once Hiccup came into focus.

"Hey, sweetie. What happened?" he whispered, gently stroking her hand with his thumb.

"I got sick. And Poppy told me stories." Adrianna replied. She then yawned widely.

"She got up in the middle of the night because she wasn't feeling well. And so I told her stories." Stoick explained, stretching out his muscled arms. "I'm going to go home now that Anna's in capable hands."

"Thanks, dad." Hiccup smiled, glad that his father had taken such good care of his daughter.

"She's a good kid, Hiccup." Stoick said, walking to the door and putting on his cape.

"Well, Addie, what say you go back up to your bed and sleep off that fever?" Astrid placed a hand on the girl's forehead. "I'll bring you some soup later, okay?"

Adrianna nodded and put her arms around Hiccup's neck. Her daddy lifted her into the air and walked her to her room. He gently placed her on the bed and kissed her forehead. Once he shut the door behind him, he turned to his wife.

"Well, looks like we'll have a quiet morning." he said, entwining his fingers with hers.

"At least until Finn gets up." Astrid replied, peeking into his room. "And he's out like a light. Yeah. I guess we can make breakfast without any interruptions.

"Now that sounds wonderful." Hiccup grinned and followed his wife downstairs.

"Poppy?"

Stoick wasn't sure if he was dreaming the high pitched noise coming from not too far away but if he was, he wanted to continue his sleep. However this was to no avail as the pitter patter of little feet came closer to his head. He briefly wondered what time it was. He moaned, not quite awake yet. Was it morning already?

"Poppy?"

It was too dark to be morning. And the voice didn't sound like Finn's. Stoick could have sworn that Hiccup had told him that Finn was the early riser. What was Adrianna doing out of bed?

"Whassamatter?" Stoick mumbled.

"My tummy hurts." Adrianna replied with a sniffle.

Stoick slowly sat up and quickly lit a lamp next to the bed. Adrianna came into view, her face looking redder than it should. The chief put a hand on her little forehead. Warmth radiated onto his palm. Adrianna was definitely sick.

"Do you think you're going to throw up, dear?" he asked her, stifling a yawn.

Adrianna nodded and so he got out of bed and took her tiny hand, leading her downstairs where there was a bucket for times such as these. He had her sit down on the couch with the bucket in her lap. She looked very uncomfortable. Stoick wasn't sure how to proceed. When Hiccup had gotten sick at a ridiculously late hour, he usually put him in front of a bucket and shuffled off to bed. But Adrianna was a more sensitive child than his son had been so he sensed that this would not be the best approach.

"I'm going to make you some tea. That might make you feel better." he said in a gentle tone.

Adrianna nodded again and so he walked off to the cabinet and searched for the best herbs for an upset stomach. Though while he had his back to the girl, he heard a retching noise. By the time he turned around, Adrianna had filled the bucket and now looked thoroughly miserable. A strangled sounding hiccup came from her throat and Stoick knew from experience that this signaled floods of tears. He briefly thought of getting Hiccup. His son always knew what to do when Adrianna was upset. But the odds of Hiccup and Astrid being awake at this hour were slim and even if they were, he wasn't about to leave the twins home alone. By the time these thoughts had passed through his brain, Adrianna had placed the bucket on the floor and the waterworks were underway.

Stoick stared at the sobbing child. He had no idea what to do. Or even what to say. What had he done when Hiccup was in floods of tears at that age? Oh yeah. He got his wife. This was no longer an option and with Finn being the only other person in the house, he knew that the task of comforting the girl fell on him. Adrianna turned to look at him, her body jolting with hiccups, and Stoick had a feeling that now was probably the best time to do something.

"Do you... umm... still want that tea?" The man could fight off hoards of dragons or hostile Vikings with nary a scratch but a crying child made him feel completely helpless.

Fortunately for him, Adrianna nodded. Stoick lit a fire and placed a few herbs in a kettle before filling it with water. He now had to figure out how to deal with his granddaughter in the few minutes before the tea was ready. What would Hiccup do?

"Do you think you're going to throw up again?" Hiccup wouldn't have asked that but Stoick didn't want to have to wash vomit off of anything in his son's house.

Adrianna shook her head. Well that was some small comfort. Stoick took the bucket of sick and pitched it in the backyard so the house wouldn't smell. He then turned back to his granddaughter. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Can daddy come home?" she asked in a timid voice.

"Your daddy will come home in the morning." Which was about five hours away but Stoick didn't want to voice this realization for fear that it would distress the girl further. "How are you feeling?"

"My tummy still hurts and I'm hot and I want my daddy." Adrianna whimpered.

The kettle hissed. Stoick was very glad for the distraction. He poured some tea into a mug, added a little bit of cold water so it wouldn't be too hot for Adrianna, and handed it to her. She sipped it, adding her tears to the mix as she did so. This made Stoick wonder just how many tears she had consumed over the years. Considering her propensity for crying, the number was probably impossible to tabulate.

"Are you feeling any better?" Stoick asked after about a minute.

Adrianna nodded but she certainly didn't look any better. Stoick gently placed a hand on her forehead again and was dismayed to find it still hot. He was beginning to have the strong feeling that he would be awake for the rest of the night. But, he figured, he had made a promise to himself that he would spend more time with his family. He hadn't allowed any exceptions, like when he had no idea what to do. Slowly, he got up and sat down beside her, brushing her sweaty bangs from in front of her eyes.

He reminded himself that he was fortunate to have this opportunity considering the events of just over a year ago. He still felt twinges when he thought of it. As a matter of fact, though he would never admit it to anyone, he still dreamed about it. According to Hiccup, Adrianna's nightmares had finally ended about a month ago and her symptoms were rare.

But Adrianna was still alive, still sitting beside him, still hiccuping and drinking her tea. And Stoick knew that he had to do something. To say something.

"Do you want to hear a story?" he asked, thinking hard about which Hiccup story would be best for this occasion.

"What kind of story?" Adrianna asked between hiccups.

"About your daddy when he was a little boy. Do you want to hear about that?"

Adrianna had a hard time picturing her tall daddy as a little boy but she nodded nonetheless.

"Your father was a very curious child." Stoick began, having finally decided on a story he knew his granddaughter would enjoy. "And one day when he was, oh, I think about six, he was at the Great Hall by himself. Val and I were making him wash the tables as punishment for something else he'd done. I honestly don't remember what it was but he clearly wasn't happy about it. I was at the forge so I'm not sure what happened but your father says that he found a torch underneath one of the tables. Now I wouldn't let him carry one because I didn't trust him with fire."

"Why not?" Adrianna asked. She had seen her father set fires lots and lots of times.

"Because he had a tendency to drop anything he was carrying or trip over things. I didn't want him setting fire to the village. Mind you, he's done that a few times too but this was the first."

"Daddy set the village on fire?" Adrianna was shocked. Her daddy may be a little clumsy but he was always careful with fire.

"Not this time. He did come close a few times when he was a teenager but he'd never done it before at this point. Anyway, he found the torch and decided to light it with the fire from the fireplace. I think he liked fire for some reason. Now what happened after that is a bit fuzzy but I think he was swinging it around because it was a little too heavy for him and lit one of the tapestries on fire." Stoick sighed deeply, slightly amused at this memory. Raising Hiccup was the most difficult thing he'd ever done but now that it was over, these stories were beginning to become rather humorous.

"But they're not burned!" Adrianna was now beginning to think her Poppy was telling her tall tales.

"A few seamstresses repaired them a little while later. But you can still see some of the burn marks if you look carefully. Anyway, your daddy started screaming and grabbed one of the tablecloths to put out the fire. And then the tablecloth ignited and pretty soon it was a raging fire. I will never forget walking into the Great Hall and seeing him jumping up and down, trying to put out the fire. He even started blowing on it at one point." Adrianna felt Stoick shake with quiet laughter. "It really wasn't funny at the time but it sure is funny now."

Adrianna giggled and wiped away a few tears. "Did daddy get in trouble?"

"You daddy got in very big trouble. He got a spanking and he wasn't allowed to play outside for a few days. I told him not to play with fire and he disobeyed and nearly burned down the Great Hall."

Adrianna didn't like spankings but in this case, she thought her daddy had deserved his. Why he might have been burned up and then he wouldn't have been able to ask the dragon fairy for her and Finn! And then she might have been given to Uncle Snotlout and Aunt Heather or Aunt Ruffnut and Uncle Fishlegs! And then he wouldn't be her daddy! Still, the mental picture of her daddy (looking exactly the same, only smaller) running around and trying to put out a fire was very funny. As she hiccuped with giggles, she nearly forgot about how yucky she felt.

Hiccup and Astrid spent a leisurely morning cuddling before going back to their house to collect their children. They didn't want to leave Stoick with them for too long because they knew better than anyone that Finn and Adrianna could be quite the handful.

They walked into the front door as quietly as they could, just in case the kids were still asleep, and stopped in the doorway. Stoick was sitting on the couch, his head resting on its back and his eyes shut. Adrianna was leaning on him, fast asleep and looking quite peaceful. After taking a few seconds to make sure they were seeing what they thought they were seeing, Hiccup and Astrid tiptoed forward. Hiccup got down on his knees in front of his daughter and took her hand, squeezing it gently. Her little eyes fluttered open.

"Daddy." she said with a small smile once Hiccup came into focus.

"Hey, sweetie. What happened?" he whispered, gently stroking her hand with his thumb.

"I got sick. And Poppy told me stories." Adrianna replied. She then yawned widely.

"She got up in the middle of the night because she wasn't feeling well. And so I told her stories." Stoick explained, stretching out his muscled arms. "I'm going to go home now that Anna's in capable hands."

"Thanks, dad." Hiccup smiled, glad that his father had taken such good care of his daughter.

"She's a good kid, Hiccup." Stoick said, walking to the door and putting on his cape.

"Well, Addie, what say you go back up to your bed and sleep off that fever?" Astrid placed a hand on the girl's forehead. "I'll bring you some soup later, okay?"

Adrianna nodded and put her arms around Hiccup's neck. Her daddy lifted her into the air and walked her to her room. He gently placed her on the bed and kissed her forehead. Once he shut the door behind him, he turned to his wife.

"Well, looks like we'll have a quiet morning." he said, entwining his fingers with hers.

"At least until Finn gets up." Astrid replied, peeking into his room. "And he's out like a light. Yeah. I guess we can make breakfast without any interruptions.

"Now that sounds wonderful." Hiccup grinned and followed his wife downstairs.