AN: (Eats cookies)
Chapter 16
Hiccup started doing the dishes after he had placed Astrid in bed. Toothless was already lazing on one of the fluffy pillows with his paws in the air and sleeping soundly. He had taken one last look at the sleeping blond on the small dragon before heading back down. So many secrets had been revealed in the past few hours he mused as he started drying the wine glasses. No one would blame Astrid for going into shock. His doorbell rang just as he was drying the last glass. Hiccup dried off his hands as he walked to his front door and when he opened it he was greeted with the sight of Camicazi, punk hairstyle and all, in uniform. "I'm guessing this isn't a social call." Hiccup invited her in.
"Not particularly." Camicazi mumbled. "It's about this afternoon and Fishlegs already filled me in about what happened to his girlfriend."
"Coffee, tea?" Hiccup asked as they took a seat.
"No, but thanks." Cami told him. "I was wondering if I could borrow Shimmer."
"Shimmer just had babies. She's pretty territorial right now." Hiccup told her. "Even I couldn't get close."
"Darn, it would have been helpful to have a Changewing in this situation." Cami told Hiccup.
"What are you trying to do?"
"These loan sharks that invaded this town have to go." Camicazi stated.
"Cami you know dragons don't eat humans." Hiccup told her. "They get heartburn."
"But those guys don't know that." Camicazi stated. "After what happened with Heather I know they have no qualms about killing."
"Can't you arrest them for attempted murder then?" Hiccup asked.
"Wish it was that simple. Heather isn't registered and there isn't even proof that she even exists." Cami told him somewhat in awe. "Hypothetically speaking, she'll need at least a fake, but very convincing, identity that's registered at City Hall. I can't charge someone for attempted murder of somebody that doesn't exist."
"It's a pretty big mess." Hiccup told her.
"But not as big as when you got Toothless. I think we can contain this." Camicazi stated. "The only problem is Henry."
"What's the problem?" Hiccup asked confused. Cami sighed before answering "Technically Astrid was the one that assaulted Henry. It doesn't matter what he did. I can't prove a scam unless she actually paid him and if he were to press charges for assault I'd have to bring Astrid in." Hiccup sucked in a breath "But he played her."
"Don't get me wrong Hiccup, I completely agree with Astrid. I hate to say this but your brother is a douchebag and I'd have hit him where the sun don't shine. Still, the fact remains that it was Astrid who attacked him. I'm not liking this any more than you are but if he gets it into his mind to press charges then I'll have no choice but to arrest her." Cami told him sadly.
Hiccup rubbed his temples "Is there anything you can do?"
"The loan sharks are in the wind for now but I think they are still in town, they wouldn't leave without their money. Henry's cooped up at the biker bar on third street." Camicazi told him. "So far the townsfolk are on Astrid's side and have been steering clear of your brother. I doubt Henry will even be welcomed at Viggo's now. You know how those werewolves are with pack mentality and they really like Astrid." Hiccup nodded and then said with a sigh "You know I spoke to Henry earlier. I honestly don't know what happened to him."
"You don't know or you won't admit it." Camicazi countered. She hated confronting Hiccup like this but it had to be said. "He's your brother and I know you'll always have a soft spot from him but the signs were there since High School."
Hiccup had his hands in his hair as he lied back on the couch. "He was pretty clear with his rhetoric." Hiccup told her. "I'll be honest with you, I thought moving to the city might do him some good, you know. He was cooped up in this town with supernatural beings all his life and maybe seeing the world a bit would help him."
"It actually had the opposite effect I'm guessing." Cami spoke.
"He was a loner in High School and left immediately after graduation. Dad nearly had a conniption." Hiccup thought back to how his younger brother behaved in school and how his father had blown a gasket when he packed up his stuff. "Mom had supported him as any mother would." Hiccup told Cami "But I doubt she'll want to see this side of him. She'd be really disappointed."
"You know the incident with Fishlegs' sister Amara made me distance myself from him." Camicazi spoke sadly. 'How could he forget.' Hiccup thought. It had been the gossip of the town for a week.
-----------Flashback----------
Their High School years
Hiccup had shoved Henry into a locker door when he had found out. "Hey bro chill!" Henry had gasped out. By this time Hiccup was already a Senior while Henry was a Sophomore.
"Chill?! Chill! Henry do you even realize what you did?!" Hiccup had growled at his brother.
"Dude, seriously it was no big deal!"
"No big deal?! No big deal?!" I had Fishlegs, my best friend might I add, glowering at me for what you did!" Hiccup shouted as the hallway had quieted down. "How dare you take his little sister on a date and leave her to walk home!"
"Oh come on! She's using those feet for something!" Henry protested which earned him a slap. It was well known that Fishlegs and his family moved here in the middle of Hiccup's Senior year. The two became best friends later on and things had been going rather well when Henry had started dating Amara. That was until he found out she was a mermaid.
"You left a fifteen-year-old girl to walk home from makeout point in the dead of night!!" Hiccup growled as his eyes conveyed how angry he was at his brother. "What in Thor's name made you do that?!"
"She was just a freak!" Henry retaliated as he pushed Hiccup off of him. "She shouldn't have acted human if she wasn't." Things had pretty much escalated from there. Camicazi, Henry's best friend and his fellow Sophomore, at the time had made her feelings of his deplorable actions quite known during lunch that day. That year friendships and crushes had been broken.
-----------End Flashback--------------
Hiccup knew Cami had had a bit of a crush on Henry when they had met in Freshman year. Things changed later when they had become 'just' friends but even that friendship had been broken.
"Hiccup I got to go." Cami told him as she was still on duty. "Also think you could get Astrid to the twins' tonight? The town thought she might use some cheering up." Hiccup raised a brow and told Camicazi he'll see what he could do.
It was an hour or so later when Hiccup went to check up on Astrid to find her awake and looking blankly out of the window. He quickly went to her side and checked on her health. Astrid didn't say much when Hiccup asked if he should get her one of the bloodpacks Dagur had brought over.
"You know......" She whispered while still looking blankly out of the window. "I thought things would be different."
"How so?" Hiccup asked hesitantly as he sat on the bed.
"My mama always told me I'd know who the person was that I was destined for." Astrid whispered. "Like a foolish child I kept believing that even after I was turned. I don't know now though. She might have been wrong."
Hiccup didn't know how to respond but Astrid just kept going. "You know, my mama was a seamstress in France. She fell in love with a dock worker." Astrid mumbled. "They fell in love, married and had two children. Then the wars started. My younger brother got killed, mama couldn't keep her shop open and father got laid off. We were penniless, papa kept using the money we managed to get for alcohol as no one would hire him. The docks didn't need more workers, the army wouldn't take him because of his injuries and then they got sick. There was no money left for a doctor."
"I'm sorry Astrid."
"Don't be." She told Hiccup. "It was a long time ago. But I often wondered why my mama didn't leave. She and papa fought when he was drunk but she kept insisting that he was her love." Astrid mumbled. "I couldn't stand that they fought so much but I was working in the palace at that time and trying to support them with my wages. I often wondered what kept my mama going. She insisted that the man she fell in love with was in there." Astrid was hunched forward as Hiccup gently rubbed her shoulder.
"I thought Hendrik was the one for me when I met him." Astrid said softly. "He was kind, charismatic and he genuinely cared about others. I had hoped by telling him what I was that we could spend eternity together." Astrid tried to dry her tears. "I really thought he was the one for me as mama used to say but it was all just a silly fable."
"Astrid you shouldn't give up on love." Hiccup told her gently.
"Why not?!" Astrid asked as her watery eyes settled on Hiccup. "Henry only used me to get money! I spend more than a century hoping to find the man I fell in love with only to find out that he was going to kill me before our wedding!" Astrid shouted. "My heart has been toyed with! The love I gave both of these men has been trampled on! I was stupid to trust either of them!" She muttered lowly. "Love really is blinding and fickle." Hiccup had enveloped Astrid in a hug at this point and was rubbing small circles on her back. "Hiccup do you think I should give up?" Astrid mumbled as her face was against his shoulder. The spurns of both Hendrik and henry stung freshly in her mind.
"No....No..... Astrid, never give up." Hiccup whispered. "You should never give up." Astrid sighed as she leaned against Hiccup.