Emma was due for release from the hospital that afternoon once they were sure her fever was down and her antibiotics had been issued. Astrid and Hiccup had remained with her, more or less in the room, though once the doctors had seen her, he had insisted in taking her down to the hospital canteen for breakfast and she had gratefully walked alongside her friend, shy and blushing. For almost an entire corridor, they had remained silent but Hiccup had kept drifting his emerald gaze across her slim, tense shape and sighed. 

"Astrid?" Her blue gaze lifted to meet his. "Please, talk to me," he asked her softly. She walked alongside him and her expression fell.

"Hiccup...I just can't tell you how grateful I am," she said carefully. "I mean, you were amazing last night. You were so calm, so prepared and so-so brave in facing your fears and driving us here. I-I just can't see how I could possibly repay you for..."

"Astrid," he said quietly, "you don't owe me a thing." She stared at him as they made it to the canteen and they remained silent for a few moments as they made it to the buffet, helping themselves to pancakes and syrup. Astrid added blueberries while Hiccup went for the bacon. It was only when they were sitting down that she looked up at him, seeing the weariness in his face-but also a little more confidence. And then it struck her hard: she had kissed him, knowing his vulnerability and his lack of confidence. She had crossed that line from friend to...something more. And she was scared...because her life had gotten even more chaotic than when she had first started the dating idea. And while she had kind of hoped he would reciprocate, he had said very little as they had sat by Emma's bed, his eyes drifting to her and over to the child. And she feared then that it was the same problem as it ever was: she had a young daughter and that was too much for him to take on permanently. She swallowed and screwed up her courage.

"But I have caused you so much disruption," she protested as she ate, her knife swiftly sectioning up the pancakes. "I mean, you've put us up and helped deal us with the mess that Dagur caused-and now we wake you up and drag you halfway across Berk?" She sighed. "You'll be glad to see the back of us!"

His brain screeched to a halt and it was all he could manage to keep chewing. He couldn't meet her eye. It had happened: she was leaving. She had thought over what he said and what she saw and she...didn't want him. Maybe she was repulsed. Maybe she just didn't need another needy, pathetic person in her life when she had her own child. He swallowed, though his appetite had deserted him.

"Whatever you want," he managed to force out, his voice toneless.

Astrid glanced up and sighed. She really didn't want to go but she felt she had to make the offer because it was so much of an imposition. But being with Hiccup, having his calm presence, having another adult to talk to had been...perfect and a painful reminder of what she had never had-and what she doubted she would ever have until Emma was grown. If then. It was hard, very hard at 22 to resign yourself to spending your life alone but Astrid saw his stiff shape and heard the words and saw her last chance slip away.

I blew it, she scolded herself. Gods, he has been so kind-but why would he want the chaos of my life, of my ex and Emma and all of me when he has already suffered enough? He deserves better than a stupid waitress and her daughter. She nodded.

"Thanks," she repeated and saw him rise, pushing his plate away. 

"I need to stretch my legs," he said abruptly, handing her enough money to easily cover the breakfast, knowing she had left her purse back at the apartment. "My leg gets cramp if I sit too long."

"I'll..." she began but he shook his head.

"I'm sure you want some time alone with Emma," he said and walked away, head down and hands stuffed deep in his pockets. He couldn't look back because it was too painful, his heart breaking at the thought he had fought off his demons to show her how much she meant to him, how much he cared and she had rejected him. Gods, it was even worse than Ana and if he had sat there any longer, he would have begged her to stay. And he knew that it was unfair: she deserved a proper life, without feeling she was beholden to him. He didn't even know if she would continue to be his friend after this-and that made his world colder and darker as well. Aimlessly, he walked to the car park and managed to find a wall to lean against, allowing himself to stare up into the grey, cloudy sky. 

And he gave a small, bitter laugh. It was ironic: he had undertaken all the terrible dates and the girl of his dreams was sitting back there, wanting to leave and get on with her life without some needy, panic-wracked cripple expecting her to look out for him as well.  He closed his eyes. He had finally managed to convince himself he wasn't completely useless-but he felt it, because no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried or hoped or prayed, the one girl he had fallen for didn't see him as anything other than a casual friend.

He pressed his hands to his face, feeling them tremble. His throat was thick with misery and  his eyes were burning with unshed tears. All he could do was endure the pain, as he had done after the accident and the loss of his leg and hope that he could salvage something from this disaster. If he could just keep her as a friend, then at least he would get to see her and do what he could to ensure that she was happy. It was the least he owed her for everything she had given him.

oOo

Astrid finished her pancakes because she was practical and pragmatic, though she was feeling as depressed as her friend-for very much the same reason. Spending time with Hiccup, who was kind, generous and caring, had lulled her into a false sense that he had maybe liked her-but why would he want a stupid waitress when he had so much more to offer? Even if the dates didn't find him a girl, the newfound confidence he had developed would stand him in good stead and someone would swiftly snap up the man as a boyfriend. She just hoped he would still be her friend...because seeing him was really the best time in her day-apart from time with Emma, of course. 

She rose, tidied the plates away and paid, then headed back to the Paediatric ward, waving at the nurse and smiling as she rounded the corner and gently pushed open the door to her daughter's room. The room was quiet so she assumed that Emma was asleep-but as she entered the room, she froze and she felt as if the floor had dropped away.

The bed was empty.

oOo

"Where is my daughter?" 

Her voice as almost hysterical as she sprinted down the corridor to the nurse's station. "Where is she?" She was hyperventilating, her eyes frantic as she slammed her hands down on the desk. "She wasn't well enough to wander off and she was attached to an IV anyway! Where is she?" The nurse rose, seeing her anxiety and swiftly walked to her side, a hand reassuringly grasping her shoulder.

"It's okay," she said soothingly. "She's safe. She's with her father..."

"WHAT?" Astrid screamed. The nurse frowned.

"She's with her father," she repeated. "He came a short while after you left the ward with your partner and said he'd take her home. He signed the papers and they left straight away." Astrid was staring at her with fury and loathing, her entire body shaking. "What's wrong?"

"The man who got me pregnant with Emma and abandoned me as soon as I told him about the pregnancy is subject to a half-mile restraining order from both Emma and I," Astrid snarled through her teeth. "He is forbidden to have any contact with her pending a custody and access hearing next week. He is a dangerous man who broke into our home and threatened my life. He's been stalking us. He's been harassing me. And it is clearly written in Emma's notes that no one but me and Hiccup are allowed to have access to her-and Dagur Derange is specifically named as not being allowed to see her, let alone take her away!"

The nurse blinked in shock at her anger.

"I'm sure that can't be right," she muttered. "I mean, he had a recent photo of her, he knows which nursery she goes to-he even showed me the sonograms from when you were pregnant..." 

"I SENT HIM THOSE!" Astrid shouted at her. "I was trying to give him a chance when I first got pregnant. I imagined he might want to be part of his child's life. And you know how he responded? And he took out a fricking restraining order against me so that I wouldn't bother him with anything about the child he claimed was nothing to do with him! He's been absent for four years-and now he's decided he wants her and you let him take her!"

"What's going on?" a senior nurse asked, walking up. A crowd was gathering but Astrid was completely frantic. 

"This stupid cow let my daughter be kidnapped by a man who has a restraining order against him by the courts!" Astrid shouted. "She's sick, she's not got any clothes, she hasn't got her meds and this...this incompetent just let a man walk in, claim to be her father and let her be taken!" The nurse stared at her.

"Calm down, Miss Hofferson," the senior nurse said, her solid form turning as a security man walked up, summoned by the other nurses at the desk in response to Astrid's anger-and her frantic words. Dark eyes swept over the dishevelled blonde, still in her pyjamas with a jumper and boots thrown on, wisps of blonde escaping the braid. "I am sure we can sort this out. They may still be in the building..."

"I doubt it!" Astrid said in a panicked voice, staring from face to face. None of them knew Dagur! He must have been planning this. "He will have been watching and as soon as we walked off for breakfast, he'll have come in, grabbed her and gone. Oh Gods, what is he doing with my baby?" 

"I'm sure it..." the first nurse protested but the senior nurse glanced at the front page of the child's jacket-and the fact that her biological father was banned from seeing her by court order was clearly written. The nurse went white and the security man raised the walkie-talkie to his lips.

"We have a child abduction," he said.

Hiccup returned to the ward to find security tight, police interviewing the nurses and Astrid in floods of tears. Immediately, he raced to her and pulled her into a hug, all his pain forgotten. "What's happened?" he asked her in a concerned voice. She blinked, her eyes tragic.

"He has her," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Dagur's got Emma!" His grip around her tightened, his eyes suddenly angry and he glared accusingly at the staff but he calmly steered Astrid to a seat and sat beside her. 

"He can't have gotten far-because we weren't gone that long," he reassured her.

"I shouldn't have left her!" she said in a self-accusatory tone but he squeezed her again, just to get her attention.

"Hey-I'm the one who says such stupid things!" he reminded her. "You have every right to get something to eat and go to the bathroom and expect the staff not to let your child-who is in their care-get kidnapped in the few minutes you're away! You told them that he wasn't allowed near her. It's not your fault they didn't do their job-and that he is very plausible, when he wants. You can't blame yourself for this!"

"I shouldn't have left her!" she insisted stubbornly. He gave a small smile. 

"You know, you may have finally stopped me saying I'm worthless-at least out loud-so I won't hear you blame yourself for Dagur's actions!" he said sternly. "Now you can wallow around in self-pity-or you can help me get her back." Her eyes widened and she stared into his determined face. He smiled and pulled out his phone, rapidly thumbing a number in and switching to speaker.

"Hello?"

"Snot," Hiccup said firmly. "It's me. Your cousin." There was a pause.

"Who? Oh-it's you, Useless! What do you want?" Astrid's eyes widened. Who was this person who was so self-absorbed they didn't recognise their own cousin-and what sort of relative called his own cousin 'Useless'?

"I need your help," Hiccup said calmly.

"I knew it!" Snotlout said in a superior voice. "My useless scrawny cousin needs the help of Snotlout the Magnificent Jorgensen, the most..."

"Can it!" Hiccup snapped. "You remember Dagur Derange?"

"Sure. He was awesome-almost as awesome as..."

"You were on the Football Team with him, weren't you?"

"Until he was expelled. He went to Raven Pointe High to finish Senior Year. Cost us the State Championship-which Raven Pointe won!"

"And you were together in College Football as well, weren't you?" Hiccup reminded him softly. He had listened when Snotlout boasted at family get-togethers-well, until Hiccup's father died and he couldn't face a Jorgensen Snoggletog

"Well, until he got thrown out for failing a couple of drugs tests," Snotlout admitted. "That was pretty harsh. I mean, he's a bit wild but he's a great guy, absolutely awesome and really know show to treat the ladies, if you know what I mean. Heard he's gone on to become some kind of drugs dealer, though don't believe that myself. I mean, he says all he does is help people out. What a guy!"

"Do you have any contact with him? Or know where he is?"

There was an awkward pause and Hiccup felt his pulse accelerate. 

"Snotlout?" he asked.

"Cuz-you really don't know what..." the other man said in a more guarded voice. Hiccup gave a heavy sigh.

"Snotlout, he's kidnapped a little girl," the auburn-haired man told him.

"He said his bitch had refused to let him see his daughter so he had to sneak in and see her..." Snotlout announced brashly and Hiccup felt Astrid stiffen against him and his hand curled around her arm, keeping her silent. "I mean, a guy has every right to see his little girl right? It's not fair to keep him away from his kid? He said he's really devoted to her and he was really hurt by being suddenly being refused permission to see her..." Hiccup's brows furrowed at the tone.

"Snot-he's kidnapped the girl from her hospital bed," he said evenly. "There's a restraining order out against him. He has had no contact with her since birth! The police are involved. This is serious, cuz. If you know where he is, you gotta tell."

"A bro doesn't betray a bro," Snotlout announced, confirming Hiccup's guess that the two men were still friends despite the fact that Snotlout remained a success in College Football while Dagur had descended into a murky world of crime.  Hiccup sighed. He had one card left he could play and it was risky.

"What about blood?" he asked pointedly. There was a pause and Hiccup took a deep breath. He could tell from his cousin's voice that the other man was holding out on him-Snotlout wasn't that bright and certainly wasn't that subtle. But he was traditional, raised to the same Viking values that both their fathers had believed in and that Hiccup prayed to Odin would impel him to help. "Snot-I'm with the girl's mother. I love her. And she is frantic for her daughter. I am worried as well because I love the girl like my own. I am your cousin. And I need the girl back. You have to tell me, cuz. You owe me this, at least."

There was a long pause and Hiccup scarcely dared to breathe. He could almost hear his cousin struggling with the conflict between his so-called friend and his cousin and family obligation. Finally, they heard a shuddering sigh.

"Okay-he's round mine with the little girl," he huffed, his voice lowered as if he didn't want to be overheard. "The kid is just in her nightie and she still has a drip in her hand. I thought it was odd, I guess. I mean, if he was much of a Dad, he'd have some clothes, right? And he has shouted at her a couple of times already and made her cry. It-it doesn't really feel comfortable to watch. I think...she would be better with her Mom."

"Thanks, Snot," Hiccup said in utter relief. "You have my eternal gratitude. You're a good guy."

"Yeah, yeah-keep it quiet, Useless," Snotlout grumbled and hung up. Hiccup instantly rose, not looking at Astrid and limping slightly as he headed to the cop.

"I think I know where they are," he said.