TWENTY FOUR.

"So are you looking forward to the Prom?"

Astrid looked up at Heather's words and considered as she changed for gym. Pausing to tie her laces, she flipped her braid over her shoulder and gave a smile.

"I think I'm actually looking forward to it." she said, analysing her feelings. "I mean, if you had asked me about two months ago, I would have stared at you for talking to me in public and scoffed at the thought of going...but now..." She smiled again. "Now, I would be heartbroken to miss going to Prom with my boyfriend and my BFF and all of my friends. Through no fault of my own, I've lost so much in this school. But somehow, my Mom's illness has brought me the chance for a boyfriend, friends, Prom...all the normal things."

Heather studiously retied her laces, thinking hard. She had been watching Atali carefully and she was profoundly suspicious of the red-haired girl's motives.

"I'm looking forward to going too-especially with Fishlegs," she admitted. "He's such a good guy-and he's really sweet. Have you thought about your dress yet?" Astrid smiled.

"I have possibly had a look at a couple of possibilities," she confessed. "Finn has insisted that he's paying but I don't want to abuse the offer..." Heather chuckled.

"Abuse away!" she advised her friend. "You only get Senior Prom once and you certainly deserve this..." And then she stopped, for a couple of the girls were sniggering away at the other side of the changing room. Frowning, she straightened up and glared at them. "What's so funny?" she asked. The girls gave her a pitying look.

"You think Atali will let either of you go to the Senior Prom?" the shorter dumpier one asked.

"What's it to do with her?" Heather asked pointedly. Her friend-a short mousy-haired girl with dimples-rolled her eyes.

"She's head of the Prom committee," she said.

"But she's not in charge of Prom," Heather pointed out. "She can't refuse to let Seniors attend just because she doesn't like them!"

"She can do what she wants-she's in charge!" the mousy-haired girl said arrogantly. "If you're not her friend, you won't be going-and that includes you, Astrid. You may think you're special-but she's going and you're not!" Blue eyes narrowing, Astrid straightened up,

"We'll see about that!" she growled and looked over at Heather, who was looking aghast. "Come on-we'll get this sorted out..." But Heather grabbed the irate blonde and hauled back as the other girls walked off towards the gym, laughing.

"Asti-you can't," she hissed. Looking infuriated and betrayed, Astrid looked at her friend.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because she's done nothing," Heather reminded her. "You think this isn't what Atali wants? Why would she tell two 'nobodies'?" Astrid opened her mouth to protest. "Look-Elin and Helena aren't anywhere near the kind of girls that Atali would embrace into her confidence-but she knew those two wouldn't wait to spill the beans..."

"So we speak to someone and stop her..." Astrid protested.

"She hasn't done anything...yet..." Heather repeated. "And accusing Atali would just be seen as petty and spiteful. Atali would play innocent and it would give her a perfect excuse to turn people against you. They'd say you were trying to frame her out of spite..." She sighed and her green eyes darkened. "You have to wait until the tickets come out-and then you buy them. If they refuse to sell you a ticket-then you have them. But until then...you have to wait..."

"But we know she's planning to exclude us..." Astrid protested, her eyes flashing with anger. Heather paused-and then smiled.

"And we know," she hissed. "So we carry on as normal. We smile. We treat Atali as we have been-polite blanking. And we buy tickets on the first day of sale for the Prom. And if anyone refuses, we have them. We know that-and so do they."

"So why...?" Astrid asked, breathing hard.

"Because she wants you to put yourself in the wrong and then she can swoop in as the wounded party and regain her fans," Heather told her. The blonde stilled and stared at her, aghast.

"What?"

"That's how she thinks," Heather told her urgently. "She's a bitch but ruthless." Shaking her head, Astrid looked appalled.

"How-how can I possibly hope to deal with that?" she asked quietly-but Heather rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't-we do," she assured her friend. "Keep your head and we will beat her-together. I already have people working on it..." Astrid glanced at her suspiciously.

"You do?" Heather smiled.

"It's all in hand," she assured her friend. "Now let's go play Dodgeball..."

oOo

A tall man walked through the hallways of Berk High, a cap covering his blond hair and shading his handsome face. He made his way to the Principal's Office and spent five minutes with Mala Queen before heading out once more. Smiling, he rubbed his beard and then walked along the hallway until he reached the classroom he had been told was where his friends were working. Calmly, he knocked on the door and then opened it.

Inside the classroom, Mr Throk looked up at the tall shape. He frowned, not recognising the newcomer, though every student in the class did. Hiccup nudged Astrid who glanced up-and her eyes widened.

"Can I help you?" he asked in his deep, serious voice. Dane looked up and nodded.

"I apologise for interrupting your class but I have permission from your Principal to take Hiccup Haddock and Astrid Hofferson out of school for a few hours," he said calmly and offered a smile. Throk frowned.

"Are you a relative?" he asked as Dane grinned.

"More like a family friend-though I am acting on behalf of Astrid's Uncle," he said. "I mean, tonight I'm round with Hiccup's father and Godfather and Astrid's Uncle for Pizza Night and a 'Guess my Vegetable' special...."

"Actually, I heard Dad muttering about ordering in from 'Lars Ribs and Chops' tonight," Hiccup offered. "Probably means the poor delivery guy will be staggering up to the door with half a yak, all smothered in 'Lars' special spicy sauce' and with one tiny side salad to assuage Dad's conscience and his permanent issues with his weight." Dane chuckled.

"I'll ask him to order two salads so I can reassure my trainer I didn't eat a meal consisting of 100% meat smothered in spicy sauce," he muttered conspiratorially. Throk cleared his throat.

"Ah. I can see you may be a suitable person," he conceded. "But why is the entire class taking pictures of you?" Dane offered his hand.

"I'm Dane Olsen," he introduced himself. The teacher took his hand.

"Throk," he replied. "I'm sorry, I..." And then he frowned. "Are you that actor who recently made a picture about Thor?" Giving a slightly relieved smile, Dane nodded.

"Yes, I've just completed making 'Son of Odin' and that's why..."

"It's a good subject," Throk said seriously. "I just hope you didn't treat the subject frivolously..." Dane chuckled.

"Oh no-we take the subject very seriously," he assured the serious teacher, glancing over at Astrid and Hiccup, who had stuffed their belongings in their bags. "Now, can I take my favourite Valkyrie and Viking with me?' There was a gasp.

"Your what...?" a voice muttered at the back of the room that sounded suspiciously like Atali's.

"My co-stars," Dane said cheerfully as they rose. Then he wrapped an arm round each of their shoulders and looked up, smiling at the assembled class, all with phones up clicking pictures. "Smile," he said under his breath. After a moment, he nodded and glanced at the teacher. "Sorry to have disrupted your lesson, Mr Throk. And thank you for indulging me." Then he winked and steered the pair through the door and into the hallway. He sighed in relief and glanced at the teens.

"What's going on?" Astrid asked him directly, her eyes glittering. "Not that it isn't good to see you-but is there a problem?" Dane gave a smile.

"You should ask your friend Heather," he murmured. "Do you have lockers? Do High Schoolers still have lockers?" Hiccup nodded and led them in the direction of their lockers, while he glanced around the hall, his blue eyes flicking over the scene and taking every detail in.

"What has Heather done?" Astrid asked him firmly. Dane chuckled.

"You're a Valkyrie in real life as well," he noted as they reached the lockers. "She called Finn because she thought there may be some people who were trying to make you look bad. In fact she worried they may be trying an underhand campaign against you. So she suggested that we make sure that the same people realise they don't stand a chance against the Valkyrie, the saviour of the Son of Odin-and her paramour, who got a coda."

"Heather?"

"You know, if she wants a career in publicity, she's got great potential," Dane told her as she gathered what she needed from her locker. Hiccup gave her a smile and closed his locker.

"So what are we doing?" he asked as they turned to the main door.

"Some publicity shots and we need a couple of green screen shots of the Valkyrie on her steed," Dane confessed. "And Finn and I may have the First Trailer to show you..." Both teens stared at him in shock.

"Publicity shots and Trailers?" Hiccup asked as Dane led them to a very plush black SUV.

"In case anyone thinks you may not be welcome at the Prom," he said with a grin as he unlocked the car. Astrid took the front seat while Hiccup strapped himself in the back.

"I'm sorry," Astrid said quietly. "It's not fair that you should be involved in this petty nonsense..." Dane pulled out onto the road and headed for the Fearless Productions Campus at the edge of town. He harrumphed.

"You know, friends help friends," he told her. "And you stepped up and helped your Uncle and the film when they needed you. You turned out to be an outstanding hire and we had no qualms in allowing your friends extra parts. Your screen presence and your obvious chemistry with Hiccup added an extra nuance to the film and Finn and I feel the little coda is fully deserved. And if any of those jealous ninnies in your school feel you aren't good enough for their Prom-out of jealousy or some other imagined reason-then I am more than happy to help prove you are worth far more than they are!"

"Which we all know anyway," Hiccup put in. Dane smiled and glanced at the frowning girl.

"Astrid-I am not sure about your issues at school but one thing I definitely know: you are an amazing person and a talented actor," he told her. "It's one thing to cling to petty cliques in School but now, as you come up to graduation, you have to start growing up. You and Hiccup are mature and decent people: the people who seek to stymie your Prom are not. So I am happy to help prove your worth to them in terms that they can understand-so they have no basis for their prejudice. And to undermine those who would try to marginalise you."

"Wow," Hiccup murmured as the star changed lanes.

"Not always a hunk," Dane revealed. "Until I hit my growth spurt, I was called 'skinny' and 'sprat' so I know that it hurts being pushed aside and treated like an outsider. So I am more than happy to help-especially as Finn and Stoick are such great people." Then Astrid smiled.

"Thanks," she said slowly, glancing back at Hiccup. The auburn-haired teen was smiling.

"You don't have to face problems alone," he reminded her. "So many people who got the chance to get to know you all think the same: that you are an amazing person who deserves the best that life can offer you. And that anyone who wants to undermine or marginalise you deserves everything they get!" Dane chuckled.

"Now that's a Viking who deserves his Valkyrie," he commented as they passed security and headed towards the main building. "Okay, so let's go over what we're doing today..."

oOo

The following day, Hiccup gathered his friends together and asked them all for a huge favour. When he explained what he was asking, he was met with a wall of indifference and some outright hostility. But for once, he wasn't standing back and he determinedly told them that he would go ahead, with or without their help, since he was the person far worst harmed by the actions of the person he wanted to help. That if he could see past that and want to make an effort to forgive, then that was his prerogative. In the end, everyone had agreed to help and went over the plan again.

When lunchtime came around, the Populars and Jocks occupied their usual table but Heather diverted Atali to ask some questions about the Prom. And while she was away, there was a pause-and then Snotlout limped up to the table. Predictably, Eret and Thug looked up and sneered.

"Push off, shorty," Eret sneered. Thuggory sneered and Moomin-a round, solid guy with a huge bulbous nose, pale skin and eyes and lank pale blond hair-made to rise. Until Astrid stalked up and planted herself right by his seat, folding her arms and glaring at him in a very Valkyrie-like manner. Instantly, he subsided, stared at the table and slumped back in his seat. Simultaneously, Dagur slid into he seat by Eret, leaning close and murmuring a warning in his ear while Fishlegs sat by Thuggory. The black-haired Football star opened his mouth to sneer a comment when the husky boy leaned close and said, in a very mild voice:

"Don't make me cross."

Thuggory paled and sat back in his seat, clamping his mouth shut. He knew the story: everyone did. Because Fishlegs was an oddity, a huge, hulking guy who clearly harboured a lot of power under his rather pudgy exterior and an incredibly kind and mild-mannered personality. But there was an edge, buried deeply under the timidity and decency that had been exposed only once, when a gang of four Senior Footballers had decided they were stupid enough to want to pick on the husky and quiet Sophomore. And they had been cruel-very cruel-and persistent and personal. They had pushed and pushed until he made a final plea:

"Don't make me cross."

But they hadn't listened and then they learned why Fishlegs was so mild-mannered and careful: he had a dark side. And when they pushed him way beyond the line he could endure, he turned. And went absolutely full Berserker. Thuggory had seen it-all the Footballers and Jocks had. And Fishlegs had beaten up the four bigger and older Footballers and the teacher who had been unwise enough to try to stop the fight by trying to pin him in a headlock, rather than in the correct manner of standing back and ordering him to stop, which Mr Grimborn had done with complete success.

The Footballers had been suspended for bullying and Mr Mildew had been moved to his long-overdue retirement (to the relief of all the students and pretty much everyone on the faculty as well) but Fishlegs had been given two 'medical' days off with no suspension or even detention. And that was due entirely to the testimony of the twins and Hiccup Haddock, who had watched the entire incident and had told the truth, rather than supporting the 'Jock' line that the attack was unprovoked. It had probably not helped his case when he suffered his own injury about six months later in the eyes of the Jocks though almost certainly, it had eased his passage into the nerd group comprising Fishlegs and Tuffnut. The School, it seemed, knew all about Fishlegs's rare Berserker rages and had been completely convinced by his Psychiatrist, Psychologist and complete cooperation with every intervention available. And the fact he had done everything to avoid conflict until he was backed into a corner with no other way out. It was a lesson that the four bullies learned to their cost but which wasn't explicitly spoken of since.

But no one ever forgot that you shouldn't make Fishlegs cross.

"Mindy," Snotlout said, his tone uncertain and vaguely pleading. He was looking self-conscious and uncertain-very unlike his usual self. She looked up, her expression uncertain as well but also exasperated.

"Should I call Atali?" Tora asked, reinstated in her position in the Popular girls. Ruffnut slid in-between her and the equally undeserving Kari-and draped her arms around their shoulders.

"You wanna shut up and let the grown ups talk, babies?" she asked pointedly. "Mindy can call for help if she wants-but I get the impression she's not being given any choice. And it should be her choice, shouldn't it-hmm? But I get the impression you have all been blocking any attempts to allow Snotty even speak to her. What are you afraid of?"

"Not you!" Kari said with spirit. Ruff chuckled.

"Never wash your hair at school again," she murmured. "Unless you want it orange or falling out..." Kari's eyes widened. "Now hush. Grown ups speaking."

"What do you want, Snot?" Mindy asked in a resigned voice as the boy took a small pace forward.

"I wanted to talk, to apologise," he said honestly, his voice softer than his usual brash tone. "I'm not in a good place now, no matter how I pretend. I'm aware I've lost the only thing that I was any good at-and through the rules of the clique I led, I lose my friends as well. And I have to tell you, it's pretty shitty. I never realised what it was like but now I do. I'm stupid as mutton so I'm not going to graduate with you guys-though I will after Summer School-and I won't be going to College for Football or anything else. And the worst thing is, it's all my own fault."

Mindy stared at him and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"I wasn't kind to you when we went to Muttonhead's," Snotlout continued in a gush. "I wanted to get away from it and I find my cousin there, wooing his girlfriend and making me feel like such a heel and-and a loser. He can sing and play and he's smart and kind and I'm none of those. But I really really like you, Mindy. You're the best girl here-in my opinion. You're pretty and kind and patient. You're strong and calm. You put up with my idiocy and stood by me. And you kept in touch when I was off injured, even when everyone else dropped me like week-old yak dung. And I feel so bad that I couldn't stop myself being an ass when I wanted to tell you how much you mean to me."

Mindy's mouth dropped open.

"You are literally the only girl I ever had eyes for-I know I flirt but no one holds a patch to you. And I was insensitive because that was all for show. I sent cheesy cards to everyone because it was expected. But the only person I wanted a reply from was you. I refused Atali in Freshman Year because the only person worth being with was you. And I am so sorry I made you feel bad and ruined your evening. And the only thing I can offer in recompense is my own offer..."

Hiccup surreptitiously slid in and thumbed the music on. He had downloaded it from a karaoke site and had spent an interminable time trying to coax the song and phrasing into Snotlout's thick skull. But he smiled and gently sang along to support his cousin as Snotlout stared into Mindy's eyes and sang the words with as much sincerity as he could manage.

"My first, the last, my everything

And the answer to all my dreams

You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star

My kind of wonderful, that's what you are

I know there's only, only one like you

There's no way they could have made two

You're all I'm living for, your love I'll keep forevermore

First, you're the last, my everything..."

Mindy covered her mouth and her eyes shone. Snotlout gave a small smile and pulled a chair forward.

"For obvious reasons, I cannot kneel so I'm doing the next best thing,' he explained and knelt his good leg on the seat of the chair while keeping his plastered leg straight. "Mindy-you are the girl I love. I want to apologise for everything. I really really like you and have done all the way through-and I would be immensely honoured if you would do me the honour of going to the Prom with me."

Mindy looked into his face and for a long moment, there was silence. And then finally, she spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said and for a second, Snotlout looked crushed but remained stock still, resolved to face up to the rejection and take it like a man. Then she turned her head to stare at Thuggory. "I'm going to have to turn you down, Thug. Because Snot is right-I'm his girlfriend and honestly, a decent person wouldn't almost bully me into coming to the Prom as his date while actively blocking every attempt of my boyfriend to speak to me so we could reconcile. I don't want to go with you, Thug. Why would I? You're not my boyfriend, just a hanger on. And for you to pretend that we can go to the crowning social event of High School and shoehorn yourself into Snot's place because he's hurt his leg is disgusting." Then she turned back to look at Snotlout, who was looking stunned. "And I would be honoured to go to the Prom with you, Simon!"

Giving a huge grin, Snotlout scrambled up and gave Mindy a hug and a kiss.

"Thanks," he whispered as she smiled.

"That was the sweetest thing you ever did," she murmured as he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.

"I had help," he confessed ashamedly. "I swallowed my pride and asked Hiccup. Because he understands how to talk to a girlfriend and be...well, a good boyfriend. I'm an idiot, Mindy. The things I was taught to value are cool but they don't always make you happy and certainly not when things aren't looking so good. My Dad isn't a good role model-so I looked for a better one." Mindy glanced over at the tall, auburn-haired shape who ducked his head and moved to Astrid's side.

"Good choice!" Mindy whispered as there was a sudden gasp.

"What's going on here?" Atali asked, her voice sneering. "Mindy-what are you doing with that loser? Didn't we talk about it?"

"No," Mindy told her suddenly. "You talked. Over me. You didn't listen. You blocked Snot's number on my phone and refused to let me talk to him. You got the others to keep him away. And like an idiot, I listened to you-even though I could feel it was wrong. After all, you've never had a proper boyfriend-have you? Just people you use for show. And where is Ryker Grimborn now? I know you haven't heard from him since the Valentines Fiasco!"

"You..."

"I'm going to the Prom with Snotlout, Atali," Mindy told her. "He's my boyfriend and it's my choice. Not yours..." Atali grabbed at her arm.

"We've talked about this," the red-haired girl said through gritted teeth. "We're double-dating Eret and Thuggory..."

"You mean Eret who's actually gay and Thuggory who's a smarmy lecher and isn't either of our boyfriend? No thanks!" Mindy told her sharply. "I'm going with my boyfriend. It means you can go with two guys neither of whom has any interest in you and neither of whom is your boyfriend!"

Atali glared at her, her scornful green gaze sweeping over the assembled students. She jerked her head to summon Tora and Kari and both obediently rose.

"If that's what you want, then of course you can bring who you want," she told Mindy scornfully. "But I know what this is." Her glare landed hatefully on Hiccup and Astrid and her fists clenched. "You're ruining my Prom. You're trying to undermine me and break my friends apart. Guess what? It won't work. Because you two are never going to be allowed to come to my Prom!"

And with that, she snatched her bag, beckoned to her two remaining followers and marched out.

oOo

A/N: Acknowledgements -'My First, My Last, My Everything' Writer(s): Tony Sepe, Barry White, Peter Sterling Radcliffe.