They slept fitfully, for it was a sultry night, the kind they got about once a year in Berk but Hiccup's mind was whirling, playing the events of the day over and over. Finally, he scrambled out of his tent with Toothless silently following, his tail wagging happily and walked quietly into the cabin-to find Stoick sitting on the couch, staring into the dark.

"Hey, Dad," Hiccup said calmly. "Couldn't sleep?" The big man blinked the shook his head with a sigh.

"Big day," he mumbled then moved along the couch, tacitly inviting his son to sit by him. Hiccup warily perched on the couch, stealing a thoughtful glance at the man. Toothless sat at his side.

"I wanted to say...I'm sorry, Dad," he said after a deep breath. "I failed you." Stoick looked at him in wordless shock, jaw slack as the young man his son had become turned to him, his green eyes glittering in the half-light. "I promised to protect Mom...but Alvin was too strong...I was just..."

A hand gently landed on his shoulder and he looked up into Stoick's face, the eyes kind and forgiving. "No, son," he said gently. "It was I who failed. You both. I should have remembered you. I should have come home...and then he never would have hurt either of you..." Hiccup gave a small smile.

"Dad...it was a million to one you survived the crash," he admitted. "Odin must have been watching over you..." Stoick sighed.

"I wish he had been watching out for you instead," he sighed. "Though I am so proud at the man you have become...a fine, brave caring man who has a great group of friends and a beautiful girl..." Hiccup gave a lopsided smile.

"Six months ago, I was still the class screw up, pretty much universally despised," he told his father. "I was made homeless, starving and freezing...I had no friends..." Toothless whined. "Yeah-apart from you, you useless mutt..." But he patted the dog affectionately. Stoick extended his hand and Toothless sniffed it...then licked it solemnly.

"Where did you find him?" Stoick asked. Hiccup sighed.

"On the way home, he was in the park, all alone. Just like me. He was hungry so I fed him...he was my only friend..." He patted the dog again, who gave his Toothless smile. "I hid him from Al and fed him from my earnings from Gobber..." He paused and smiled. "Boy, is he gonna be surprised..." Stoick gave a grin.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him again," he admitted. "He was my friend from when I started Elementary School..." Then he wrapped his arm around Hiccup and grinned. "Take this advice from a man who lost five years of his life...don't let that girl go and tell her you love her. Best friends last a lifetime...however long that is..."

oOo

The next morning, Snotlout and Fishlegs went to collect the cars with Sven, since there was a very good road that led round the back of the valley to his cabin. Snotlout grumbled but cheered up when Cami and Heather offered to keep them company. Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick and Toothless trekked down to the crash site one last time to say goodbye to Valka.

Stoick was very quiet as he stared at the wreckage, murmuring a prayer and then stopping to lift the bronze urn. He looked askance of Hiccup.

"Son...do you mind if I keep this?" he asked. "You know...to keep her close?" Hiccup had nodded, his arm around Astrid as he stared at the site once more. In a way, Stoick had died there...the man standing by him was very different to the active, driven father he recalled...but at least he had something back, someone he could call family once more.

Toothless barked, sniffing at a pile of rotten fabric and digging out a sagging leather object. The teen hunkered down...and realised he was looking at a very battered wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out the ID-to see his father's face look back at him. Wordlessly, he handed it to Stoick and the man frowned, seeing his face and fishing out a small photograph of himself, his wife and son as they were, the happy little family they had been, before that one tragedy had destroyed them. Toothless gave a little bark and Stoick nodded, tucking the precious image away and sliding the wallet into his pocket.

"Goodbye, my love," he murmured gruffly then turned back up the hill to meet the cars. Hiccup stared at the wreckage once more, then noted down the GPS location, took a couple of pictures on his phone and followed him, Astrid at his side.

"You okay, babe?" she asked him in a low voice as Toothless raced past them to follow Stoick...then galloped back to circle them before racing off again. Hiccup smiled.

"I wish I had his energy," he admitted. "I was up most of the night. I...couldn't sleep..." She looked carefully at him and smiled.

"It's a lot to take in..." she admitted. She had lain awake as well, worrying for him because she had seen the utter shock in his face...and knew how much guilt he felt at failing his father. He had visited Stoick's grave so many times to talk to his father...and to find the man there...though not quite as he had been...would have made him unnerved. He sighed.

"You know...I kinda accepted how my life was, who I had in it..." he admitted as they walked up the slope. "And then...bang! Suddenly my dead father is alive and living in the wilds and I'm back up to one parent again...though I kinda don't know him any more...and Gods, I really don't want to leave you and your parents..."

"You don't have to," she reminded him. "Your home is with us now...and we can sort something out, babe." She took his hand and he smiled at her, matching his pace with hers. "Now lets all go home..."

oOo

The journey back was interesting. Snotlout had whined about having to walk to the cars and about the changes to the seating arrangements to fit Stoick in. Fishlegs and Heather had moved over to join Snotlout and the twins and Cami had moved across to be with Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick and Toothless. Sven had sent them all off with steak sandwiches and had left his cell number, promising to visit them next time he came into town. Once they had found their way out of the valley-which took longer than expected when they followed Snotlout's 'shortcut' that Hiccup confidently reckoned added an hour to the journey-they had settled down to concentrate on the winding roads. The drive had been quiet and awkward, with Stoick criticising Hiccup's driving and offering very forceful tips on how to drive 'properly' until the boy had snapped that he had no right to criticise because he didn't have a license as he was dead.

They had then driven in incredibly awkward silence for another hour until they had stopped just shy of the main highway. Hiccup had sighed as he got out and stretched his legs, letting Toothless run some energy off. Hiccup stalked away from the car and sat on a rock, his head in his hands. Astrid glared at Stoick and pointed at his son. Sighing, the flame-haired man walked to his son. Hiccup glanced up, his eyes wary.

"Sorry...Dad," Hiccup said. "But the last thing I need is a back seat driver..."

"Especially a ghost," Stoick suggested with a grin. Hiccup managed a wan smile. "Look, son...I can see you are your own man...and I think you've been looking after yourself for a long time...ever since I left, I guess. You don't need a parent hanging around over you all the time...and I can't help that I still think of you as that scrawny little twelve year old I left...I don't want you to move out of the home you're in...and leave your girl." He glanced over to Astrid. "She's smart, beautiful, caring...everything your mother was..."

"Way to creep me out, Dad," Hiccup grumped as Toothless bounded by and almost knocked him off his seat. "And thanks for nothing, you useless mutt!" he yelled after the dog. Stoick grinned.

"My point is...I don't need to live with you and you really don't need an old man living with you...and cramping your style.." he said thoughtfully as Hiccup face-palmed and blushed scarlet. "Son-you stay where you are...I know where I can live for the short term...and then we can make some arrangement for when I am officially alive again..." There was something infectiously optimistic about his grin and Hiccup couldn't help returning it.

"And I know someone who can officially bring you back to life," he grinned, rising achingly to his feet. He stared up into his father's face and threw his arms around him. "I'm really glad you're here, Dad." Stoick hugged him fiercely.

"Son," he said gruffly. "Thank Odin you came to do the right thing by your mother...or I would remain lost for however long I would live..."

"Dad...AIR!" Hiccup gasped. "Need air to breathe..." The big man released the vice-like hug and his tall, skinny son gave a huge gasp. The others were out and roaring with laughter as he staggered free, bracing his hands on his knees and gasping to refill his crushed lungs. "Gods-you ALWAYS used to do this when I was small!" he protested.

"You're still small!" Stoick told him, laughing.

"Smaller!" Hiccup retorted, straightening up and glaring spiritedly at his father. Astrid wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his back.

"You're the right size for me," she murmured and a cocky smile lit his face. He turned to face her.

"And Thor, your father must NEVER hear you saying that either!" he grinned.

"...and I think it's time we hit the road again..." Fishlegs said quickly before Snotlout could make any more gagging noises that he was already making. Hiccup stole a small kiss from Astrid before they got back into the car.

"I think your Dad may have a sense of humour," she murmured. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, he's a real joker...always at my expense," he sighed. "Thank Thor he's not saying with me..." Her azure gaze widened.

"What...? But I thought..." she gabbled. His eyebrow arched.

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Milady? I see it all now..."

"No. NO! But...I mean...he's your Dad..." she said urgently.

"He's a stranger...a man I haven't see for over five years and who is a different man to the person my Dad was," Hiccup sighed. "He sorta looks the same...but he's not. And he knows he needs to be with someone who will accept him...and who he won't burden down." Her eyes widened in shock and almost disappointment...but he sighed. "I would live with him...but he wants me to take him to someone he feels he would be better staying with...at least to start with..."

"Who?"

oOo

Gobber opened the door of his apartment, stared blankly at the enormous man standing by his godson and dropped his glass of mead in utter shock. Then he slammed the door.

"GOBBER! Open the damned door!" Stoick bellowed.

"YER DEAD!" Gobber yelled back. "Yer a ghost, escaped from Helheim..."

"I'M NOT DEAD!"

"I can hear that," grumbled a neighbour, poking his head miserably round the door. Hiccup spun at the voice.

"Mister Mildew!" he gaped as Stoick narrowed his eyes. He had heard the name mentioned. "I-I didn't realise you lived here..."

"GOBBER! I'M ALIVE!"

"What? Yer went tae the shops, took a wrong turning and got lost fer five years?" Gobber yelled through the door.

"My plane crashed!" Stoick shouted. "I was injured and had amnesia!"

The door opened.

"Then why're ye here ?" Gobber asked, glaring. Stoick wrapped a proud arm around Hiccup's shoulders.

"My son," he announced. "He came to put his mother to rest with me, found the crash site that the police failed to five years ago and tracked me down. Seeing him brought...some of it back..."

"Some?" Gobber asked suspiciously. Stoick sighed.

"There are gaps," he said heavily. "I can feel...there are things missing. But I came home because my son is here." Gobber looked carefully at Hiccup-wary, sunburnt and grimy-and cracked a grin.

"Aye, that he is-thought only through the stubbornness of hi'self and that girl o' his..." Hiccup heard Astrid huff and sighed.

"You mean my fabulous girlfriend, Astrid?" he checked diplomatically.

"Aye, the very same," Gobber grinned.

"But the boy needs his space and I was just wondering if..." Stoick asked, his usually bluff face suddenly uncertain. Gobber gave a slow smile.

"Yes want tae stay wi' old Gobber?" he grinned.

"I'm six months older than you, you know!" Stoick huffed with a twinkle in his eye. Gobber threw a huge hug around him and Mildew made a snorting noise, turning to his apartment and tripping over his fluffy off-white terrier.

"Gerrout me way, Fungus," he grumbled and slammed the door. Gobber looked over to Hiccup and Astrid.

"I'll tek it from here," he smiled. "Yer both look exhausted. Go home!" Stoick grinned to them, hugged both carefully and vanished into the apartment, the sounds of loud voices audible through the door as Gobber began to explain the arrangements. Hiccup stared at the door for a long moment before Astrid's arm slid round his narrow waist.

"You know, I almost feel sorry for Mildew," he said as they turned to the stairs.

"Really?" Astrid asked suspiciously.

"I said almost," he qualified. "Um...those two don't have a 'quiet' setting, drink late into the night and sing really loudly and badly!" Astrid paused, imagining the miserable old teacher's response and started giggling.

"Oh Thor," she muttered. "That will be Hel..." Hiccup grinned.

"Perfect," he murmured. "Now home. I need a shower..." Astrid nodded as they emerged into the sunny afternoon.

"At least two showers, mister stinky," she teased him. "But there is a more pressing problem..." Hiccup quirked an eyebrow.

"And that is?"

"What are you going to tell my parents?"