Hey guys, sorry about that weird ending of the last chapter. There was a bit more to it and it ended in a cliffhanger. I'm not sure how the end of it got deleted. So I will put the end of the lash chapter here in bold and the next chapter will be back to normal font.

"Hiccup.." She poked at him but he did not respond.
"Hiccup!" She grabbed the nearest pillow and wacked him with it but once again there was no response except a shallow snore.
Astrid groaned, not wanting to do what she knew needed to be done. She pushed Hiccup off the edge of the bed and cringed at the sounds of his impact. "Sorry!"
"Ouch." He whimpered from the crumpled position in which he'd landed. "Was that really necessary?" He climbed up onto the bed.
"You wouldn't wake up! I'm sorry." Astrid grimaced.
"Well why do I need to be awake at this time of night? What's going on?"
"I think my water broke."
******

"You what?"
"My water broke!"
Hiccups eyes widened. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
Astrid couldn't help but smile. "I think it's time."
****A few hours later****
"Is the baby here yet?"
"How's Astrid?"
"What's going on?"
Hiccup couldn't take these questions all at once. How was he supposed to know? Ah! He couldn't take it anymore. "Shush!"
The gang and everyone else in the room fell silent.
His hand came to rest on his forehead as it usually did when the young man was stressed. "Look, all I know is that the baby isn't here yet and Astrid is progressing very slowly."
More questions to bubble up, but they quickly died down as Valka entered the room.
"Hiccup, she's ready to push."
He quickly hurried out of the room.
******

Astrid was soaking wet, despite the chill in the candlelit darkness. Her nightgown, damp and clammy and heavy with perspiration, clung to her body as if it were just another layer of skin.

Her legs shuddered and quivered, overtaken by consuming fever. When she looked down, she could see the goosebumps blooming upon her thighs - but she could not feel the chills. She could hardly feel the air in her lungs. Her other sensations were numbed by the stabbing ache, the hot dizziness that overthrew her and cramped her muscles.

The irony of it all was unnerving. Astrid Hofferson, always so strong and steady, faltering in a moment like this when her strength was of utmost importance.

"I can't do this," she breathed, her voice as unsteady as her legs. "I can't do this!" Astrid gasped strenuously, drained. "I can't, Hiccup!"

"Shhh, You're fine," he assured her, his voice barely above a whisper. "We can do this. You can do this." His hands ran across the length of her back, from bottom to top.

Another jab of pain twisted her features. This was impossible. How could a baby possibly fit through her?

Rain and wind battled against the wooden walls of the household, just as Astrid battled against her own body. Her wails and sobs softly cut across the sound of the pouring elements, a pitying plea to the Gods to ease her suffering. But her prayers went unanswered. Her legs faltered; Hiccup caught her, ever so gently. She wanted to melt into his arms, to disappear from the world and hide from the grinding agony.

But the feeling of his frame, strong and steady as he kept her standing, felt more solid and reassuring than the wooden wall she had been pressing up against. He was warm and real. He was there for her. Always.

She pushed again, leaning into him. But it hurt so much. She could feel the ache rising once more. When it crested, it tore her from the inside, as if every bit of bone and flesh in her body twisted and squeezed against sharp blades. And it never quite subsided; it merely dulled down to a horrible cramp.

"Control your breathing, Astrid. Don't fight the pain. Accept it." Valka hurried to her side, placing a gentle, cool hand on the young woman's feverishly hot forehead. "You've been up to long. She needs the bed. Now."

"You can do this, Astrid. Let's have this baby." said Hiccup, green eyes tired yet sharp. He lay on the bed against the headboard, arms and legs parted, cocooning Astrid in his embrace. He rocked back and forth with her, gently, his chin rested behind her ear as he whispered words of encouragement. This eased the pain on her lower back, but her insides still burned.

"Better?" He asked, when he felt her gasps for air had finally resumed to a steady cadence.

Something akin to a chuckle replaced an incoming sob. "Define... better."

Hiccup kissed her ear. Her hands squeezed his, impossibly tight. His thumbs circled the backs of her hands, something he always did when he wanted to calm her. "That's better. Ready M'lady?"

"I don't k-"

"Astrid you've got to push!" Came Valka's worried voice from the foot of the bed. "You need to push now, child!"

Astrid almost hesitated. But the feeling of Hiccup embracing her, the soft and gentle kisses he left on her temple.. the feeling of her husband there with her strengthened her down to her soul. So she pushed. Her voice cracked; a drawn-out whine filled the air. Her lip quivered and her legs tensed, every single muscle focused on one purpose. She pushed so hard she thought she would be torn in half. Her screams could be heard all throughout Berk.

She had been at it for hours, soon after her waters broke. While at first Astrid tackled the initial contractions with a controlled expression and calm voice, the growing pain and the strain had made it increasingly more difficult. It took her a while to understand how she had to push; then, she couldn't find a position that felt right. She had squatted, she had kneeled, she had roamed every single corner of her household. But the baby still hadn't come.

Maybe it never would...

Valka massaged her calves as she spoke. "Push, my dear. Push!" But Astrid felt as if the more she pushed, the more her strength seemed to leave her. Almost as if she wasn't pushing a new life into this world... but her own into the next.

She was so tired.

Gentle hands brushed the hair off her eyes and pressed a wet towel against her brow, her cheeks, her neck and chest. A voice humming softly filled her ears and she realized it was her mother, doing as she used to do whenever Astrid fell ill as a child.

Astrid pushed again, gasping for air. She dreaded that every breath she drew would be her last. And she knew - nobody would speak it aloud near her, but the looks on their faces were enough to tell - they dreaded this as well.

"Hiccup," she cried through the contractions. "If I die-"

"No, you're not doing that." Came his strong voice, dulling into a whisper as he continued. "That's not happening. Astrid you are so strong and so beautiful. You're not gonna leave me. Not tonight, and not like this. Okay?"

Before she could reply the room was filled with the distinct cry of a newly born babe.

"You did it," Hiccup breathed. He sounded so mesmerized and relieve that it brought tears to her eyes. "You did it, Astrid, you did it!"

"There you are, sweetling!" Valka exclaimed, just as relieved as Hiccup was. "We've been waiting for you! Welcome to the world!"

"Hiccup..." Astrid breathed, exhausted.

"Yes?" He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"We're parents."

"Yes, yes we are!" He exclaimed joyously. But then he couldn't take it anymore. The suspense was killing him! "Mom, what is it?! We're dying over here!"

"It's a girl!" She laughed as they cleaned the babe off and wrapped her in furs. Valka handed the baby over, eyes brimming, her smile wide. "Meet your daughter, dears."

The weight in Astrid's arms was the proof. She had made it. She had done it. She had brought her daughter into the world. And she was amazing: soft and pink, a perfect baby with wispy red fuzz on her head, who whimpered softly with her mouth open.

"We made it, Hiccup... Look at her..." Her entire being seemed weighed down, exhausted but thrilled.

Tears filled Hiccup's eyes. "Gods Astrid, she's beautiful."

"She is. She really is."

The two new parents gazed upon their baby as she fed, making the most adorable coos and feeding noises. Her eyes had been closed, exhausted from coming into the world. But for a small moment the babe opened her eyes, looking upward toward Hiccup.

Tingles flew through his body from his head to his fingertips. His face warmed and a completely new sensation settled over him. He was a father.

"I hate to break up the moment," Valka began, "but you must pass your afterbirth, Astrid."

Astrid reluctantly passed the baby to Hiccup, who now sat in a chair at her bedside. The baby girl immediately began to cry.

"Shh, shh you're okay." Hiccup cooed. "Daddy's got you, I'm here. Shhh."

Astrid was barely awake as she passed her afterbirth, but Hiccup's voice filled her ears as she fell into a deep sleep.

🎵 "If I had words to make a day for you, I'd give you a morning golden and true. I would make this day... last for all time. And fill the night deep in moonshine." 🎶

The short song of course, was for both of his girls.