Regret

When You Can't Outrun the Past

"A-Attacked?" Hiccup spluttered. "What do you mean attacked?"

A handsome police officer stepped forward then, his icy blue eyes scanning the surrounding area for any potential threat. He nodded deftly to Flynn, his white hair falling into his eyes a bit.

"All clear."

"Thank you, Frost." The police officer nodded again before stepping back in line between two of his fellow officers, armed and ready to strike. Flynn groaned heavily and escorted the couple into the house, followed closely by a female agent. Her platinum hair was braided over her shoulder neatly, her hand never straying from the gun holstered at her side. Flynn settled himself into one of the chairs in their kitchen and gesticulated before him as if waving the other young man off.

"Hiccup, go pack and then I promise we will explain everything." Hiccup reached for Astrid's hand, to comfort her or himself he didn't know, but the blonde pulled away.

"I'll only slow you down. I'll stay with Flynn and..."

"Agent Arendelle. My second on this case." Flynn explained while Hiccup only walked up the stairs without a response. Packing was simple enough, though his head was reeling.

Attacked. Dr. Corona was attacked. This was the second assault made in correlation to Astrid's return, and this one wasn't even on her. Whoever took her from him years ago wasn't afraid to play dirty, and clearly had help. And now they weren't only targeting Astrid, but all those around her. They were sending a message, back off or suffer the consequences.

Icy fear gripped his heart. What about his parents? Her parents? The gang? Even Merida had been associated with her in some way.

Without thinking he reached for his phone and pressed a number he hadn't dialed in a while. Not since he broke off their engagement.

It rung once, then twice, then went to voice mail.

"Oi, it's Merida. If it's important leave a message." Her voice rung clear through his dingy phone speaker and his heart involuntarily ached. He was overjoyed to have Astrid back and knew he made the right decision, he just wasn't prepared for how much it would hurt. Hearing her voice, even through a pre-recorded message, struck a new wound deep in his chest.

"Hey Merida... it's Hiccup." He said tepidly, his fists shaking at his side. "I know you probably don't want to hear from me, but I don't have much time. I can't tell you anything but I need you to be careful. Please I-"

His voice broke right as he heard Astrid calling for him downstairs. His time was almost up.

"I hope you're okay. Stay safe." With that he hung up the call and called his parents. He did his best to explain what was happening, careful to reveal only so much as to keep them safe. He packed dog food for Stormfly and Toothless once back in the kitchen, then headed outside to the armored car awaiting them. He dropped the bags off first before returning to help Astrid down the stairs outside and into the car. Agent Arendelle signaled to Frost, giving him the all clear, and the squadron all packed back into the car.

Toothless whined in the back seat, unhappy with the lack of space as he and Stormfly sat wedged between Astrid's propped up leg and the wall.

"I know. I'm sorry bud." Hiccup fondled the mutt's ears eliciting a low croon from the animal before he turned back towards the detectives.

"What happened to Dr. Corona?" Astrid beat him to the punch, asking the questioning they both had been wondering. Flynn sighed shakily and Agent Arendelle laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder, albeit looking unwell herself.

"Rapunzel- Dr. Corona, I mean..."

"It was just past four this morning." Officer Frost spoke up then, reading Agent Arendelle's face clearly. As much as she tried to remain professional that attack had hit too close to home, for all of them. "Flynn had to stay late to help us decipher another case when he noticed the house alarm went off. We rushed back to find Dr. Corona unconscious on the floor, a large man standing over her with a knife in her mouth. He was going to cut her tongue out."

"We managed to apprehend him before he could do any more damage, but she was severely bruised, and all of her fingers in both of her hands were badly broken. She's in intensive care right now, she should be having surgery to set the bones in her fingers today. But... they're saying she can never hold so much as a pencil again, let alone perform a surgery, if she wakes up." Flynn picked up then, having found some more of his voice. Anger laced his words and his fists clenched at his sides as he spoke, Frost and Arendelle sharing concerned glances.

Hiccup's mind was spinning for what felt like the millionth time today. Why would anyone want to attack someone as sweet as Dr. Corona, even if she was involved. Unless...

"They we're trying to silence her." He murmured while Flynn just nodded mutely. "She found out who was behind the attacks and made it so she couldn't tell anyone."

"Or they tried to at least." Astrid amended, eying the brunette detective warily. She knew how it felt, for the situation to be so hopeless and to be worrying for the safety of your family. Every day she was kidnapped she worried about when they would grow bored of her, and if they would go after her friends and family next. She thought about Heather and Ruffnut, thankful that her friends weren't subjugated to that torment. She prayed for Hiccup to all the gods that he was okay, that he would take care of Stormfly and her family. And selfishly, she prayed he would never move on, that he would hold on to the hope that she was alive. It was the hope that he was still looking for her that kept her alive, and it was hope that would keep the detective going.

"Flynn?"

The detective mumbled something incoherent that Astrid took as her cue to ask her question.

"What if we went back there?"

The blonde could practically feel the intense stares boring holes into her as she spoke. Hiccup's hand found hers, and to his surprise neither of them were shaking.

"Astrid you couldn't possibly mean..."

"If we went to where they took me... if I could even find it again, would it help put an end to all of this?" She firmly shook off his worried tone. Too many people had been hurt for her, too many had nearly died. "Would it gives you some clue as to how to catch these people and stop them from hurting anyone else?"

"Yes, but Rapunzel was firmly against it until you had healed mentally-"

"And now she's knocking on death's door because of it! Because of me! I'm not willing to risk anymore lives. I can heal once they're all dead or behind bars."

Hiccup knew better than to push it. When Astrid had her mind set on something there was no talking her out of it, at least that much hadn't changed in eight years. Flynn stared out the window as if deep in thought, then looked over at Agent Arendelle. The two appeared to have some mental conversation before both of them nodded at each other.

"Officer North, change course. Head to the interstate and pull off to stop near Heather's Diner." The heavy set man in the driver seat grumbled a "yes sir" before veering off the dirt path they were currently on and traveling back onto the highway. Astrid took a deep breath to steel herself against what she was about to face. It was time to face the not so distant past.

"I-"

"Hiccup?"

"I hope you're okay. Stay safe." The voicemail clicked as it ended and Merida pocketed her phone. It was time.