The following morning found both Astrid and Hiccup under the hood of her car. "And this goes to the AC...." Hiccup showed her as she peered curiously at the car she had known for ages.

"Thanks for coming to fix it." Astrid told him sincerely as she heard her car purr like a kitten for the first time in two decades. "I'm sure you have a busy schedule."

"The one thing about being my own boss is that I can decide my own hours." Hiccup told her. "So how about we give this baby a test ride. I can show you around town at the same time."

Astrid tried to quell the blush that threatened to appear on her cheeks. "A test drive..... A test drive sounds good yes." She mentally kicked herself as she saw Hiccup's bright smile. She went to the driver's side while Hiccup hopped into the passenger's seat. "You might want to hold on." Astrid giggled.

"AAH!" Hiccup held onto the handlebar as Astrid peeled out of her driveway. For some reason he now seemed to dread the upcoming test drive.

"So where to?" Astrid asked as she started driving into town.

"Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?" Hiccup asked her. "Or tea if you prefer."

"Coffee sounds very nice." Astrid told him as Hiccup began directing her to a small cafe. "Why here?" Astrid asked once she found a parking spot and Hiccup wasn't holding onto the handlebar for dear life. The small storefront held a small swinging wooden sign that read 'Whispering Death cafe'.

"They have the best pastries in town." He told her.

"Really?" Astrid asked a bit sceptical as she eyed the sign.

"Yup" Hiccup winked at her before holding the door open for her.

"Hiccup mah boy!" Came from behind the counter. "Who's your friend?"

"Alvin, this is Astrid. She just moved in. Astrid, this is Alvin. Probably one of the best pastry chefs in town." Hiccup introduced. Astrid looked at the man behind the counter who was wearing a frilly yellow apron.

"One of the best? One of the best? Boy I am the best in town!" Alvin chastised as Hiccup chuckled. "So what will it be?"

"Astrid you allergic to anything?" Hiccup asked.

"Just carrots."

"Alvin, two cups of coffee and why don't you surprise us." Hiccup suggested as he pulled a chair out for Astrid. "Don't worry. This will be good." He told her. Astrid raised a brow at Hiccup's statement but nodded. She had no problem consuming human food and watched the bulky man in a yellow apron fuss behind the counter.

"This place seems nice." Astrid commented as she looked around. The cafe was small but had a warm and homely feel to it.

"So what really brings you here?" Hiccup asked. "That is if you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind." Astrid told him. "But what makes you think that I didn't just pick this town for its charming personality?"

"Because no one comes to Berk without some reason. The town isn't even on the map." Hiccup laughed as he told her. "And it certainly isn't our charming personality."

"Well would it help if I said that I was waiting for someone?" Astrid chuckled. "Just an old acquaintance."

"See! Everyone comes here for a reason."

"So what's your reason then?" Astrid now asked.

"Let's see." Hiccup thought for a moment. "My family came here when I was two. Mom was pregnant with Henry at that time and she wanted to get away from the city. I proceeded to fall in love with this town, Henry not so much."

"Oh?" Astrid lifted a brow. That statement made her curious.

"Berk has its quirks." Hiccup said just as Alvin appeared at their table with their coffee and "Are those Manju?!" Astrid asked surprised as she saw the plate he placed in front of them. The small bread-like steamed buns had little mythical creatures on it.

"Traditional Manju." Alvin told them. "Enjoy!"

"I did not expect to see these." Astrid told Hiccup as she plucked a little bun from the plate that had a bat on it. "I haven't tasted these since I was in Hong Kong."

"So where were we?" Astrid asked as she took a bite of the small steamed bun. She hummed as the familiar taste assaulted her taste buds.

"Right, as I said. Berk has its quirks." Hiccup repeated. "While growing up, I took to them pretty well. Henry however was born here and couldn't wait to leave. When he got the chance he left for the big city."

"But he's here now." Astrid wondered aloud.

"Yes, and I don't know why." Hiccup mumbled. "But enough about me and Henry. I get the feeling that you've traveled a lot."

'A lot, would have been an understatement.' Astrid thought but instead said "I've been here and there."

"You mu-" Hiccup was cut off when the door to the cafe slammed open and a portly blond man ran in. "Hiccup there you are!!!!" The man said nearly out of breath. He leaned against one of the chairs and heaved "The twins..... At it...... again....."

"Oh Thor no." Hiccup groaned.

"Fishlegs can you go make sure that nothing gets broken."

"Too late." The man named Fishlegs managed to say.

"Astrid, meet Fishlegs. He does the accounting for most of the town. Fishlegs meet Astrid." Hiccup introduced.

"Hiccup why are you so relaxed about this?" Fishlegs asked as he shook Astrid's hand.

"Well it can't get any worse if the twins already broke it right?"

"Hiccup I think that it might be worse than the Fungus incident." Fishlegs mumbled which got the auburn's attention.

"Worse? How can it be worse?!" Hiccup now looked panicked.

"If your dad catches wind of this he's going to blow a gasket or probably the entire furnace." Fishlegs said at the same time that Astrid asked "What is the Fungus incident?"

"Oh Thor, that bad?!" Hiccup did stand up now." I am so sorry Astrid but I got to make sure the twins don't burn the town to the ground."

"Go do your thing." Astrid told him as she was really curious what all this was about. "We can always grab some more coffee later."

Hiccup nodded and the told Alvin to put everything on his tab. The burly man in an apron shooed Hiccup out of his store when Astrid turned back to Fishlegs. "So.......... What is the Fungus incident?" She asked which caused Alvin to try and stop a giggle from behind the counter.

"Well you see......." Fishlegs trailed off unsure of how to explain it.

Later that day after Astrid had exited the cafe she had gone over the details she had learned. Fishlegs had told her that Hiccup was probably the only person in town that could talk reason into the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who owned the three-star restaurant and country bar. The last time that things got out of hand he had told her it involved Mildew's, the town gossip's, sheep Fungus, a pair of shears, superglue, fine china, and an irate Mayor.

She decided to do some sightseeing and ended up at a small bookstore. "Why hello there." A short muscled man behind the counter greeted her with a flirty smirk. "I'm Snotlout, welcome to my bookstore."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you always this flirty with your customers?"

"Only the pretty ones." Snotlout winked.

"What type of name is Snotlout anyways?"

"Nickname." The short man told her. "My real name is Samuel. It's just weird being called that now."

"I see." Astrid said as she thought for a moment. She might be able to get some more information out of him. "I noticed that almost everyone here has some type of nickname." She stated as she thought back on the names Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs. "Weird nicknames."

"We all got them in High School." Snotlout stated with a laugh. "It just sort of stuck."

"I see." Astrid said as she started browsing. She went past the works of Shakespeare but stayed in the classic section. "I did notice many of you have nicknames, seeing as you are around the same age. Well all but Henry." She casually commented while hoping to find out a bit more about the man that looked exactly like her old fiance. She was hesitant to hope that he might have returned to her.

"Oh Henry" Snotlout mumbled with a bit of hesitance. "Yeah, he never really wanted to associate with our group of friends. He thought we were freaky." Astrid raised a brow at that. "It's actually a surprise that he came back to Berk after getting the heck out of dodge."

"Really?" Astrid asked with a frown. She was still debating if this man was truly her Hendrik reborn or maybe just a long-lost relative with the same face. She picked up a book titled The Count of Monte Cristo and looked at the cover. She vaguely remembered reading this in French.

"Yes" Snotlout confirmed as she read the back cover of the book. 'Truly a classic' she thought and took it to the counter with an intent to purchase it. "So I hear you and Hiccup were getting all buddy-buddy at the cafe." Snotlout changed the subject catching Astrid off guard.

"Wait how did you know?" Astrid asked perplexed. "This bookstore isn't even near the cafe."

"Oh Mildew saw you in the cafe window, he told Gothi, who told or well texted old Wrinkly since she doesn't talk much, Old Wrinkly then told Eret, who told Ack, who told Gobber, who told me when he came into the shop." Snotlout explained.

"But this happened just an hour or so ago!"

"Well news travels fast in a small town." Snotlout shrugged. "Everyone knows everyone around here. You going on a date with Hiccup is newsworthy enough."

"It wasn't a date." Astrid told Snotlout. "We were just getting coffee after he fixed my car."

"Sure" Snotlout said as if he didn't believe her. Astrid took her purchase while glaring at Snotlout before departing. 'It wasn't a date' she kept repeating in her mind as she exited the store. Her cell phone rang on her way back to her car and she picked it up. "Hello?" She answered.

She listened to the voice on the other end while walking to her car, oblivious to the pair of blue eyes that were observing her. "What do you mean I'm needed at the next board meeting?!" Astrid grumbled. "I thought being a silent partner didn't require me to attend all of those."

The voice on the other end continued to talk when Astrid replied with "Fine, I'll be there tomorrow." She grumbled before getting into her car.