Hiccup glared at Snotlout and wondered for the millionth time how he was related to the most self-absorbed, short-sighted stupid agent in the history of the Service. Maybe if the idiot had just tried the door to his cell he could have escaped himself rather than needing rescuing...

"Did you overhear anything?" he asked his cousin directly. Snotlout made a show of thinking and then sneered.

"Nope," he said irritatingly, popping the 'p' in an especially annoying way. "And why am I answering any questions from you, Useless? I'm the most senior agent here!"

"So senior you sat in an unlocked cell until we rescued you," Astrid said loudly enough for everyone to hear. Snotlout glared at her before he scrambled up and walked over to her.

"Dear Astrid," he said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "I can see you struggling with your obvious anger management issues as well as your overwhelming jealousy at my operational status while you failed and are a mere PT instructor. I can appreciate you feel awed by my awesomeness and I am sure I can help you get over it-say over dinner?"

She punched him again and watched him collapse to the floor, clutching his bleeding nose.

"When  Ragnarok happens!" she spat but Hiccup gently rested a hand on her clenched fist and leaned close to her.

"You're worth a hundred of him," he reminded her softly.

"And I'm only still a PT instructor because he was do stupid and lazy to abide by the terms of the test, so he cheated and almost destroyed HQ!" she growled.

"You keep telling yourself that, sweet cheeks!" Snotlout shot back thickly. "The Deputy Commander..."

"Your father, by the way," Hiccup commented bitterly.

"...cleared my performance as valid and reported no evidence of tampering," Snotlout continued triumphantly.

"Nepotism at its worst, dear sister," Tuff commented.

"Useless' Dad could have spoken up for him as well-but he didn't!" Snotlout sneered. Hiccup stiffened and looked at the rest.

"We need to get out of here," he said. "We'll go via the garage. We need to get this hard drive to Fishlegs to see what he can extract..."

"I should be in charge!" Snotlout interrupted. "You shouldn't be here, Useless!" The other three glared at him as he looked back. "What?" he protested as he scrambled up.

"Snotlout, apart from us, only Thuggory and Heather and a couple of low level security are at large," Hiccup told him in exasperation. "We were ordered not to look for you because Heather reckoned Eret's distress call was a prank. Oh, and AI6 has been blown up!"

"WHAT?"

"Yup. Exploded into little tiny pieces," Tuff added.

"Rubble," Ruff added.

"Ka-boom!" Tuff grinned.

"It was awesome..." his twin confirmed.

"They're joking, right?" Snotlout asked with a nervous laugh. Hiccup shook his head.

"We had to crawl out through the ducts to get away," he informed his cousin in a toneless voice. "We were the only ones to get out." Just. Very just. And thanks to Toothless. But why?

Snotlout's mouth worked soundlessly.

"D-dad?" he finally managed.

"The Command staff were in the emergency refuge but all are seriously hurt from the drop," Hiccup said.

Snotlout was shaking his head desperately.

"No..." he moaned. "Dad..." Astrid stared at him and almost felt sorry for him.

"We're all that's left of AI6," she told him.

Snotlout fainted.

oOo

"I wanna see my Dad!"

Hiccup was holding his head in his hands as Snotlout kept repeating his protests, assuming if he shouted louder he'd be driven straight to the Blessed Freya Infirmary. Astrid was scowling, the twins were making mocking gestures and Fishlegs was already decrypting the hard drive in the hope it could offer some more clues.

"I wanna see my Dad!" Snotlout shouted.

"Sweet Thor in a thunderstorm! It's like having a two hundred pound baby bawling in your ear!" Astrid growled. Hiccup shook his head.

"Oh no, a baby would be much easier to handle!" he muttered. Fish cast him a glance. He had heard about Hiccup's unsupportive father, his nightmare cousin and generally horrible family and had honestly thought his friend had been exaggerating-but on meeting Snotlout, he realised that, if anything, his friend had understated the situation. Of course, Fishlegs had been casually described as low level tech support to the moaning agent-not that he had cared-and Toothless had remained in the cabin, hidden from Snotlout completely. But he hadn't paid any attention in any case to who was driving.

"Useless, if you don't take me to see my Dad right now I am gonna kick your scrawny little ass onto the next island!" he threatened as Hiccup stiffened.

"Personally, his ass seems perfectly adequate to me," Ruff commented. Hiccup's head snapped up.

"What?" he ground out.

"I said..."

"Useless-hospital! NOW!" Snotlout shouted and Hiccup jerked to his feet, banging his head on the roof with a dull thud. He whined in pain and pressed a hand to his aching forehead.

"That's it!" he snapped. "Snotlout, we will both go to the hospital while the rest of you head for the safe house."

"But..." Fish began and Hiccup glared at everybody.

"No!" he said intensely. "We'll go to see our fathers and then I'll head back." He grabbed his jacket and bag, then banged the driver's cabin with his fist. "Stop, please..."

The van pulled over and he dragged the door open. Rudely, Snotlout shoved him aside and he glared, the hopped out if the van. Immediately, Astrid followed.

"I'm coming," she said fiercely. "Do you think I'm letting you go with that douche Snotman?"

"Hey!"

"Get over it," she growled then met Hiccup's uncertain emerald gaze. "I want to come with you," she added. "That is, if you want me to?" He managed a wan smile.

"Thor, yes," he sighed. "Um...but you may have to put up with concentrated Snotlout on the way to Blessed Freya..." She smiled and slid her arm through his.

"I'm a big girl," she commented. "I can cope...or punch him in the nose again!"

"HEY!"

"Just time for a nice brisk walk up the hill," Hiccup commented and began to trudge up the hill towards the hospital as the van pulled away. Almost immediately, Snotlout was whining about how his feet hurt, how hungry he was and why the van couldn't drop them actually at the hospital.

Tuning him out, he walked self-consciously alongside Astrid, occasionally stealing small glances as she easily kept pace. She looked determined-her usual expression-but the way her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed in the cold made her look even more attractive. She caught his glances and rolled her eyes. "What?" He started, not realising he had actually been staring.

"Um...just amazed that you are actually being seen outside with me," he mumbled. "I mean...well...thanks..." She glanced kindly at the young agent and sighed.

"You know, the more I see of you in action, the more I realise how unfairly you have been treated...by everyone, even me," she admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.

"I-I am a bit clumsy," he pointed out honestly, "and when I get nervous, I blush and stammer and tend to get even more clumsy!"

"And yet when we were trapped in a collapsed building-or faced armed enemies-you sprung into action!" she reminded him. "And do not listen to Snotlout. I mean, he was sitting whining in an unlocked cell..."

"Yeah-the twins are never gonna let that one go," Hiccup admitted with a smile as they topped the rise and turned the corner-to see the brilliantly-illuminated blocky white building up ahead: Blessed Freya Infirmary. Snotlout have a huge sigh.

"Finally," he exclaimed and accelerated forward, shoving past Hiccup who glared after him and followed. There were armed police on all entrances and the three AI6 agents had to be cleared as they were admitted before they took the elevator up the the HDU/ITU. Hiccup was breathing harder as they reached the fifth floor, unsure what he would find. But he was after Snotlout the instant the doors opened, seeing the armed guards on the intensive and high dependency care unit, which was pretty much filled with the AI6 senior staff. Snotlout swaggered arrogantly up and demanded to be let in-and was personally offended when they asked to see his ID. Of course, it had been in his locker in AI6-which was now a large pile of rubble.

"CAN'T YOU SEE WHO I AM?" he roared, failing to impress anyone. Hiccup fished out his ID-because he had kept it with him-and sighed.

"He's with me, guys," he sighed. "He is VA19-Snotlout Jorgensen. His father is D." The guards stared at him, then nodded curtly and let him in. Hiccup followed and half-turned to see Astrid settle on a seat outside the doors and nodded to him, preparing to wait. Hiccup saw his cousin already speeding towards Spitelout, who was an almost identical but older version of his son, dozing with assorted tubes and wires coming out and an oxygen mask on his face. Flicking his emerald glance across the room, he picked out Mildew on a ventilator next to Ack, who was also looking in bad shape. Phlegma was asleep, her face very bruised and external fixators on both legs and an arm. Gobber was propped up in bed, a tube up his nose and an oxygen mask over his face. And he could see, at the back, his father sleeping, also looking very battered and surrounded by machines. He determinedly walked to the doctors.

"I've come to see Commander Haddock," he said evenly. "How is he?" 

"Who are you?" the lead doctor asked, his dark eyes flicking over the tall lean shape with the bruises on his face and dishevelled hair.

"I am Hiccup Haddock-his next of kin," the young agent said. There was an awkward pause and the doctor shook his head.

"I am afraid not, sir," he said regretfully. "He gave his next of kin as his brother, Spitelout Jorgensen and his nephew, Snotlout." Hiccup stared at him and his eyes widened. He shook his head.

"But...can I see him?" he asked, his voice edged with sudden uncertainty. The doctor sighed.

"I am afraid he left express orders you were not to be admitted," he said. Hiccup stared at him, his face utterly shocked.

"But...but..." he managed, the wind knocked out of him. "I'm his son."

"I will have to get security to remove you if you don't leave quietly," the doctor hissed. "Please-think of the other patients and go quietly." Hiccup stared at him for one more long moment and then turned to the door.

"L-laddie?" Gobber's weak voice echoed across the unit and Hiccup glanced at him for a moment-just long enough for the man to see his shining green eyes and bloodless face-before he looked away and walked straight out of the door without a backwards glance. The door slammed behind him but the last thing he heard was Snotlout's voice, moaning to his father:

"Of course, I had to rescue Useless. I mean, he's so hopeless he was just floundering..."

Head down and not meeting anyone's eyes, Hiccup walked past Astrid to the stairs and began to walk rapidly down to the ground floor. Astrid stared at him, catching the heart-broken look on his face then scrambled up and raced after him, seeing him fleeing down the stairs as fast as his legs could manage.

"WAIT! HICCUP!" Astrid yelled and sped after him, sprinting recklessly down the steps. He didn't stop until he hit the ground floor and she finally caught him, grabbing his arm. He pulled away, his face stricken.

"Let me go," he begged, his voice hoarse and she stared at him. He sounded utterly lost.

"I don't think I should," she said gently. "I don't think you should be alone."

"But I am," he choked out. "My father left orders he didn't want to see me. He removed me as his next of kin. Hey-he even named Snotlout...but not me. He's disowned me, Astrid. He's my father, my only real family and I even saved his life and it's not enough. It will never be enough." He closed his eyes and tried to pull away but she grabbed his arms and wrapped him in a fierce hug. For a moment he was rigid, his face covered by his hands, before he curled into her, burying his head on her shoulder and shaking with grief. She felt dampness on her shoulder from his tears and tightened her embrace, a hand sliding up to tenderly stroke his head.

"You have me," she whispered. "And we will find a way to make this right, Hiccup. Trust me."

But he was beyond words, broken by the devastating rejection of the man he had spent every waking moment trying to win the approval of. And knowing beyond all doubt that his father had made his decision and had effectively stated: I have no son.

oOo

They didn't wait for Snotlout, instead walking down the hill in silence. Hiccup was silent, embarrassed and desolate, not arguing as Astrid kept an arm around him as they walked and he had draped his arm around her, so numb that he didn't realise what he was doing. And curiously, she didn't mind -because she couldn't imagine what it would feel like to not be wanted by your Dad, let alone your only living parent. She felt him give a shuddering sigh and his arm tightened around her shoulders.

"Astrid?" he asked quietly, "what am I going to do?" She glanced up into his pale face.

"He's stubborn as a rock-and about as sympathetic-despite the fact you have been far and away the best agent we have had in this crisis," she said as they crossed the road, looking like a young couple out for a walk. Her arm felt very comfortable around his narrow waist.

"I mean, I have no job, my home is shot to Hel, I have no family to call on and minimal savings," he sighed. "I'm gonna starve."

"You could always apply to 'Bread-Making Vikings'," she suggested. "Then you get paid and get free leftovers..."

"And end up Snotlout's shape," Hiccup sighed.

"Better than working for Happy Ulf's Express Funerals," she suggested. "You really don't want perks of the job from that..."

"Hey, I could live in a left-over casket. Thor, it'd be more waterproof than what's left of my apartment," he noted.

"Or the Berk Senior Viking Recreation Club..." Astrid smirked. "After all, we did destroy their bus..." He stole a mildly amused glance at her, the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly.

"Hmm...I bet they could afford to send Dagur after me again," he noted. "And probably would if they found out I was responsible for the bus..."

"All of us, I think," Astrid noted. "Though Fishlegs would protest non-stop it wasn't his fault..." Hiccup smiled.

"At least he has his job in the florist's to go back to," he replied and he smiled. "Thanks, Astrid. That was...amazing..." She nudged him with a smile.

"Hey, that's what friends are for," she commented as they turned the corner and headed for the funicular railway straight down the cliff to the docks. Suddenly, Hiccup dragged her back into a doorway and she stiffened. "I'm not that good a..." she began but he slapped his hand over her mouth and leaned close.

"Over there..." he whispered and indicated. There was a powerful, buff shape with a distinctive flash of ginger hair talking to a slender shape with dark hair. Astrid's eyes widened and she stilled, listening hard.

"...can't believe you missed him! I mean he's the most useless, hopeless agent in AI6"

"Well, you didn't have the bastard almost shooting your ass off!" a male voice grumbled. "He's got excellent aim, he's cunning and daring. They crashed a freaking bus and leaped out on the old mountain road to evade us! And I don't know where he is now."

"Well, he was never important enough to be fitted with a tracker and the Commander has forbidden him to visit so there's no hope of finding him at the hospital," the female voice hissed. "I can't help you."

"You have access to surveillance," he hissed back. "Find him. I want to get my hands on that scrawny little runt and claim my bounty! And remember where your loyalties, lie-sister!" Then he turned and stalked to a dark Mercedes, slammed the door and screeched away as she stared after him, before clambering into a nondescript grey sedan and pulling away. Astrid memorised the number.

"Were they taking about you?" she asked softly. Hiccup leaned back into the doorway and exhaled slowly. He nodded.

"Yup. I'm the only most useless agent in the service there is!" he sighed. "That was Dagur-and someone who clearly works for AI6."

"Well, that's a short list," Astrid replied ironically. "I'm here and that certainly wasn't Ruff..."

"Though not everyone was on duty when the building fell," Hiccup suggested...but his eyes trailed back to the direction the shadowed woman had vanished. With a sigh of resignation, he lifted his com and contacted Fishlegs. He had felt pretty uncomfortable using the equipment that Toothless had provided-but somehow now, it actually felt like an advantage... "Fish-can you trace me a number plate? BK-19604-WSR."

"Haven't you got some super-spy app that can do that?" the hacker whinged. "I hate Archipelago Vehicle Licensing database. It is so...so...so...slow..."

"Fishlegs Ingerman!" Hiccup snapped. "I am having about the worst day in the history of Midgard! I've been completely taken apart by three separate people, suspended, blown up, had my apartment invaded by crazed twins, been shot at, jumped from a bus, been captured by dragons, rescued Snotlout, wanted to kill Snotlout, been disowned by my father-and now you are protesting that the damned vehicle licensing database is slow?"

"Hey, there's no need to..."

"There's every need!" Astrid interrupted shortly. "License details. NOW!"

"You are very mean," Fishlegs grumbled in a hurt voice. "I don't know what Hiccup sees in you!" There was a frosty silence. "Okay...BK-19604-WSR is registered to Rumblehorn Plumbing and Sanitation Co..."

"Which is the holding company all AI6 assets are registered to...in case anyone checks," Hiccup murmured and Astrid stared at him. That was not something she was aware of either-but she was beginning to realise that Hiccup knew far more about the service than many active agents.

"Who would know whether or not you had a tracker?" she murmured.

"The sedan's registered keeper is one Heather Oswaldsdottir of 19, Jotun Apartments, Hamish Street, Berk City..." Fishlegs read. "Hmmm..."

"Heather?" Astrid hissed.

"Sister?" Hiccup breathed. "Fish...I need you to look into Berserk Police Department Personnel records for Heather Oswaldsdottir. Does she have any family?"

"I mean, it makes perfect sense!" Astrid said angrily. "She knew not to be in the building when it blew-because she's working with the enemy..."

"Or she had gone out for a sandwich," Hiccup suggested dryly. She glared at him. "Not that I believe it, by the way. After all-how would anyone with half an ounce of suspicion or competence dismiss a message from your top agent out of hand?" Astrid cringed: she had. "I mean, it would be the kind of rubbish assignment they'd send me on but no one would dismiss it-unless they were being paid to divert attention away from their true employer..."

"Father-Oswald Oswaldson, former Chief Councillor of Berserker Town until he was impeached for massive corruption, narcotics and perverting the course of justice," Fishlegs read. "Mother dead, one half-brother three years older...illegitimate, mother unknown, goes by the name of Dagur Derange..." There was a pause. "Dagur? Isn't that the man who...eeek!"

"Precisely," Hiccup murmured. "And I bet that imbecile Mildew cleared her."

"But she's worked at HQ since before I joined," Astrid murmured. "How could she betray us..."

"Unless she was planted a long time ahead," Hiccup sighed. "She's probably been leaking information for years..." Absently, he took her hand in his and slowly led her towards the funicular down the cliff. "We need to get some rest. And then we have to find Eret. Gods know, we need someone on our side." He swiped his card twice to admit them both and it beeped. He squinted at the screen. "And that was my last credit. We better enjoy this-because next time, we're walking..." They slid into the little cabin and pulled the door closed. Hiccup perched self-consciously on the wooden seat and Astrid sat at his side, their hands almost touching as the cabin lurched and began its slow slide down the incredibly steep rails towards the docks at the base of the cliffs. Another jolt swayed Astrid against him and as he felt the gentle collision, his cheeks flared scarlet with self-consciousness as her arm wrapped around him to stabilise

"Is it normally this bumpy?" she asked as the door was wrenched open. A man in black lifted a stubby weapon and there was the muted hiss as the darts flew unerringly. Astrid's eyes widened and Hiccup gasped as he was shot...and then felt Astrid slump gently across him as everything faded to black...