"Alvin Treacher is my step-father."

Hiccup's words were loud in the sudden silence as Astrid, Cami, Heather and Ruff stared at him, eyes wide and mouths open in utter shock.

"No way..." Ruff breathed. "I mean, that is just insane..." Hiccup arched an eyebrow.

"And again, you don't believe me!" he snapped. "I mean, why would I lie about that? Why in Odin's name would I want to own up to having anything to do with that bastard? But it's true...I wish to Odin it wasn't...but it is..."

"You mean the guy who beat you, who burnt you with his cigars, who threw you out...is the Principal...?" Heather gasped. Hiccup nodded.

"Um, yeah, thank you for summing it up!" he said sarcastically, turning away.

"Hiccup-is that why you weren't suspended for attacking Mister Mildew?" Astrid asked. Hiccup paused, then nodded his head.

"Al hates suspending me because I'm not under his thumb...I'm home with Mom...or I was..." he mumbled. "So he only had to suspend me when he thought I had got most of the Football Team suspended. But when he found out that it was down to Dagur and Snotlout...I was told to come back to school..." He sighed heavily.

"So you rolled on them?" Cami asked sharply. Hiccup turned round with a snap, then hissed in pain.

"Never happened!" he snapped. "Gods, why does everyone say that? I would never help Al!"

"But he's your step-dad...you must've let something slip..." Ruff insisted. Hiccup face-palmed.

"Between being hit in the face and locked in my room...no," he murmured defeatedly. "Look...believe what you want...but your Mom knows the truth. She's been to see my Mom." Astrid stared at him then blinked.

"Is that why she's so nice to you?" she asked suspiciously. He suddenly looked defensive.

"Actually, I think she's a nice person," he admitted wearily. "She saw my Mom and heard her say I was...well, a trouble maker and worthless. And I guessed she was throwing me out...but she came as I was packing and stopped me. She-she gave me a chance..." Astrid saw him blink and turn away and suddenly, she felt ashamed. Wincing, her head pounding, she got up and walked to him, taking his hand.

"And that's why you promised to watch out for me?" she realised. He nodded wordlessly. "It's okay, Hiccup. We believe you..." His mouth quirked into a sardonic smile.

"Well, that's a weight off my mind," he muttered. "Whoo me!"

"Okay...so we believe you...so what's he like?" Cami asked cynically. Hiccup sighed.

"Um, you know at school?" he asked. She nodded. "Um...exactly like that...well, to me," he admitted. "Except there was no home time and no restrictions on what he could do..." Her eyes widened and she nudged Ruff, who was inspecting Hiccup very carefully, her eyes drifting to Astrid. The girl was looking green. Hiccup quietly got up and helped her back to the bed. "You okay?" he murmured.

"No," she said and her eyes widened. She then slapped her hand over her mouth and raced from the room. They heard the sounds of throwing up and Hiccup sighed, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously, feeling the others' eyes watching him suspiciously.

"Um..I can leave if you want so you can talk about me," he mumbled. They looked at him and he limped to the door. "Um...yeah...well...okay..." And he left slowly, heading back to his room. The girls shared a look.

"What do you think?" Cami asked bluntly. She was bright and insightful but tended to be hot-headed. Heather stared after Hiccup and frowned.

"I'm still not convinced," she murmured. "I really can't believe Dagur..."

"Heather, you know I love you, right?" Ruff said. The black-haired girl nodded. "Then I have to say-you're the only Gods-damned one who doesn't! Everyone else knows Dagur is dangerous, unpredictable and crazy. And we've all seen him and his crew turn on Hiccup. Not that I care one way or the other but on the first day of the year, he was laughing and joking with the crew...and now they go out of their way to give him a hard time and target him!"

"There must be some good reason..."

"Heather...you can't make Dagur the hero out of this," Cami told her gently. "I know he's your brother but Astrid says Hiccup rescued her from Ruff's party...and she was very clear what had happened there...and we all saw him last night. He's got his flaws-millions of them-but I don't think he's as bad as we believed..."

"And Dagur is?" Heather asked sharply.

"Probably worse," Astrid mumbled, walking slowly in and laying down on the bed. "He broke his suspension to come in and beat up Hiccup after the party." She closed her eyes. "Look, I've been feeling bad for weeks at having to bad-mouth Hiccup to you guys. At least I can be honest now..."

"But why didn't you tell us?" Cami asked and Astrid sighed.

"I guess...I was scared what you would say...what everyone would say..." she admitted. "I mean, you guys are my best friends and you barely believed me! How would someone like Lilah...or Savannah react?"

"Obviously you'd be humiliated in front of the year to start with and..." Ruff began and Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Precisely..." she admitted. She sat up slowly and reached for her friend. "Heather? Are you okay?" The girl raised her grey eyes and sighed.

"I don't know," she admitted. "It's a lot to take in. I mean, you have completely swallowed Hiccup's story..."

"Which I've witnessed with my own eyes," Astrid reminded her.

"So you believe him?" Heather asked softly. Astrid nodded. "But I know my brother." Astrid took her hand gently.

"Sometimes people aren't who you think they are," she murmured. "Hiccup certainly wasn't..." Heather nodded but she had already decided: she needed to talk to her brother.

oOo

It was that afternoon when she went round to see their father in an unfashionable part of town. Odin Street wasn't a great address and the house, though neat from the outside, was a little grubby and in need to a tidy up. But their father-Oswald, a burly and amiable man with the same carrot-red hair as his sons-welcomed his only daughter with a broad grin and showed her in. He was brewing coffee as Dagur stomped downstairs. His pale green eyes widened as he saw the visitor.

"Sis!" he exclaimed. "What're you doing here?" Heather stared at him.

"I need to talk to you about something," she said as Oswald wandered out to the garage. He knew his two younger children liked to discuss things privately and he respected their privacy. Dagur helped himself to coffee, scratched his chin and sat down opposite her.

"Fire away," he said. She paused and considered her words.

"If someone was targeting me, you would step in and kick his ass, wouldn't you?" she asked him.

"Without a moment's thought!" he said strongly. "You're family! And family sticks together!"

"Then why are you after Astrid?" she asked him sharply. He stared at her, his expression suddenly cold and remote.

"She's not family," he said, "and she needs taking down..."

"She's my best friend!" Heather shouted at him. "How-how could you?" He gave a twisted smile.

"I never tried anything..." he began.

"Dogsbreath did!" she snapped as his eyes narrowed and brows dipped in anger.

"She told you that?" he scoffed. "She's just overreacting, the hysterical little..."

"Hiccup Haddock saw it as well," she snapped. He stilled and glared at her: she felt a shiver run down her spine because the look was cold as midwinter Berk and twice as deadly. Ruff and Cami's words came back and for the first time, she believed them.

"Why do you believe him?" he growled.

"Because your friend attacked mine," she snarled back. "I believe her...so I have to believe him! Look, whatever you have against Astrid-STOP IT!" He leapt to his feet.

"You don't tell me what to do!" he shouted. "No one does!"

"Except Ozzie!" she sneered. "You're his lap-dog!"

"Don't push me," Dagur threatened and Heather rose to her feet to glare at him as well.

"Or I'll push back," she said softly. "I know, Dagur. And if you don't want people to find out...you'll take Astrid off your radar. Call your friends off her. Tell them she is out of bounds and not to be harmed." He glared at her.

"You're asking a lot," he hissed.

"I've protected you for years, brother," she reminded him. "Don't make me regret that...because I won't let her be hurt." Dagur's meaty fists tightened, the knuckles growing white. He glared at her for a long moment.

"Deal," he conceded finally. "But Hiccup is still fair game." Heather stared at him...and nodded.

"Leave Astrid alone," she insisted firmly. He nodded.

"Where did you see Hiccup anyway?" he asked curiously. She rolled her eyes, not fooled at all...but he was her brother and she still trusted him...

"He was round at Astrid's," she admitted. "He stays there sometimes when his step-dad throws him out..." The girls had all promised not to give away that he lived at the Hoffersons' or that he was Astrid's friend. Dagur grinned.

"You know he's a liar, right?" he reminded her and she nodded.

"But Astrid trusts him," she sighed.

"He'll betray her...just like he betrayed me and the boys," he warned her darkly. She shrugged and got up to go speak to their Dad...but he stared after her with a triumphant look in his eyes. "So now I know where to find you, Hiccup...and that damned dog of yours..."