Chapter 1:

Hiccup sits quietly upon the porch of his peaceful home. His wife sits inside, taking care of their youngest. Little Sophie was ready to go outside, but Astrid demanded she gets out of her pajamas first. Hiccup smirks, hearing his son yelling from across the street. Even so, when Jamie comes barging in through the broken board in their fence, Hiccup keeps his eyes glued to the book on his lap. It's almost Easter, and all the kids are excited. However, no one seems as excited as Jack Frost, who's determined to make it another snowy egg hunt.

Hiccup snorts quietly, glancing up as his son starts defending the easter bunny. Astrid is going to kill him when she finds out Jamie said that, but Hiccup can't help but be proud. It's about time kids slow down - he never got a childhood as a kid. Everything was death and hunting and rage, none of it was fun. That's why, when Gobber brought him to the village's archive one day and showed him the fairy tales of guardians made to protect the children of the world - Hiccup was completely ready to believe. Every day, he would find out more about every single spirit ever written about, and he would take it to heart. Some would say he became too attached - calling him a child, a nerd, and many other names Hiccup never cared for. He never will, even when he sees the judgment flit across his neighbor's eyes.

A lot of people seem to think he's raising his kid wrong, but Hiccup will never treat Jamie any differently. Well, not until Jamie tells him to, personally.

Hiccup stands when he sees Jamie moving back to the fence, sleigh in hand. From the corner of his eye, he can see his wife strolling outside as well. She's holding Jamie's hat - probably saw him through the window. Sophie trails behind her, a large smile with missing teeth beaming at everything as she skips along. Hiccup can't help but grin at the sight, even as Astrid passes him without so much as a glance. Things have been tense - for a while now. It's starting to worry him. He can feel the rift between them growing by the day and it physically pains him whenever Astrid won't meet his gaze. Watching his wife walk towards Jamie, Hiccup feels that familiar tug when he almost catches eyes with Jack Frost.

He's been seeing the guy around a lot - really determined to freeze up their home. However, Hiccup makes it practiced ease to act as if the spirits aren't there. He used to strike up conversations with the ones he met, talk endlessly throughout the years even as people stared at him with judgemental hate. He used to be best friends with the tooth fairy - her fluttering personality always brightened his day. The only reason he ever stopped and started acting like a non-believer was when his dad died. He became the new chief -and he needed his people to believe that he was right for the job. So he quit, and he focused on his duties rather than his friends. He was surprised Astrid was able to stick around long enough to get him to talk to her again. The stress of being a chieftain just after a war and right after losing his father was hard - and he almost shut everything out.

Shaking away the thoughts, Hiccup leans up against the railing of his stairs, gazing upon his family. Astrid's wearing modern attire - blue skinny jeans with a loose top and small sneakers. Her hair is up in a ponytail, no braid in sight. Sometimes, he misses the old days. But as he spots Sophie bouncing up and down beside him, he throws away the idea of ever returning. He loves his life here - he can manage with a little nostalgia. Bending over to pick Sophie up, Hiccup laughs at her squeals as he spins her in the air.

"Jamie, hat!"

Hiccup sets Sophie down, watching as his little girl jumps down the stairs with a little 'Easter Bunny. Hop, hop, hop!'

"You don't want Jack Frost nipping at your nose."

Hiccup winces at the hidden sarcasm within that statement. She's mad at him again - he just knows it.

"Who's Jack Frost?" Jamie asks, staring at his mom as he fixes the hat on his head.

"No one sweety, it's just an expression."

Ooh, I'm going to regret this. With a grimace and a plastered smile, Hiccup steps off the stairs and onto the grass - right as Sophie almost gets toppled over by Jamie's dog. Quickly reaching out, Hiccup steadies her onto level ground while he exclaims, "Ah, he's anything but!" Hiccup ignores his wife's glare, moving Sophie onto his shoulders as Jamie's attention turns to him. "Jack's the spirit of winter - of course! How do you not know this, son? He's the reason you get snow days after all!"

From above, Hiccup hears Sophie's excited gasp, her hands painfully tugging his hair. Hiccup doesn't mind - he's been through much worse.

"Really!" Sophie yells, bending her head down to look at her dad. He grins at her, bouncing his shoulders to make her giggle again.

"Why, of course! When have I ever lied to you guys?" Both Hiccup and Jack hear Astrid's scoff, causing Hiccup's smile to strain. He still keeps it up, even as his eyes sadden and his energy starts to shorten. This really isn't going to lead to anything good, but he loves seeing the wonder in his kids' eyes. "I'll just have to tell you all about him tonight before bed. Now, run along - enjoy the snow day while it lasts!"

The kids whoop in excitement, and Jamie throws his dad one last smile as he runs off with his group of friends and a sleigh. Hiccup gently sets Sophie down, letting her run around the yard as he turns to make eye contact with his wife. She simply shakes her head, a look in her eyes that's starting to become startlingly familiar. Hiccup sends her a smile, taking a hesitant step towards her. He's well aware of the winter spirit currently watching them, but he can't bring himself to care. Right as Hiccup brushes his hand against his wife's cheek, she backs away. The movement sends a jolt of pain to Hiccup's heart, and he has a hard time resisting the hand that wants to fly up and hold his chest.

"When will you grow up?"

Hiccup freezes at the familiar words, watching his wife shake her head in disappointment before moving into the house. Hiccup sighs, his head hanging low as he repeats the words over and over. She used to say that to him when they were kids - everyone in the village did. His father said it the day he disowned him. Hiccup runs a hand through his hair, ignoring as Jack Frost floats over to stand in front of him. However, he does appreciate the snowflake Jack sends his way. As soon as the little flake kisses his nose, Hiccup feels his shoulders rise and a new energy bloom in his chest. Sending a silent thank you to the frost spirit, Hiccup sets his eyes on his daughter. She's chasing the dog around, screaming about the Easter bunny again. Right as she reaches near his leg, Hiccup scoops her up with a roar.

He grins at her loud giggle, tickling her stomach as she squirms in his hold. He glances at Jack within the chaos, only seeing a proud smile on the boy's face before the spirit is off to spread some more joy.

'Thank you, Jack Frost.'

At least an hour later, Jamie comes back. Hiccup almost laughs, and Astrid about has a heart-attack as Jamie showcases his lost tooth. They go throughout dinner with Jamie telling the story of his epic adventure, and it continues into the night. Right as the parents finally convince their kids to get ready for bed, the family gathers in Jamie's room. He's telling the story again - but this time he has a robot for his example, flying it around just like his sleigh did.

"...it was awesome! So then I was flying down this hill and it was like...through these cars and then the sled hit this thing and it was like way up in the air!" Jamie jumbles his words together, jumping on the bed and grinning to the skies before landing. Abby, Jamie's greyhound, is following him around and barking loudly as Sophie watches and giggles at her brother from the foot of his bed. "And then bam, the sofa hit me," Jamie falls back onto the bed to emphasize the hit, Hiccup chuckling as he sits nearby to make sure the boy doesn't manage to hurt himself. Astrid's in the room, but she's folding Jamie's clothes and putting them away. She's completely silent for the entire thing, and Hiccup can feel the weight falling onto his shoulders. "...and see, my tooth fell out!"

Jamie sticks his finger in his mouth, lifting his lip to show his little sister the evidence. Sophie giggles, moving forward to put her finger in his mouth as well. Hiccup chuckles as Jamie moves away, staring at his sister like she's an alien, the grin still sporting his lips and his robot in hand.

Finally, Hiccup notices his wife moving away from the drawers and towards the bed. She never acknowledges him, and Hiccup's smile falls away. Just as he's about to look back to Jamie, he notices the frost collecting on his son's window. He also notices Jack's somber face peeking through the same window. He has a smile - but it looks as sad as Hiccup is starting to feel. Right as Jack glances at him, Hiccup moves his attention away. He feels horrible for ignoring the spirit - the poor kid has been alone his entire life. However, Hiccup's still keeping up a facade. If he starts communicating with spirits again, he has a feeling Astrid will do more than insult him.

Right as Jack goes to leave, he catches Hiccup's worrying expression. His eyes are sad - the bright green Jack saw when the man was messing around with his kid had dulled within the few minute interactions. Jack doesn't know why - nothing bad is happening. However, he catches the look the mother sends to the man, and Jack finally understands. So, he watches closely as the kids are sent off to bed, the begs to stay up to watch the 'tooth fairy' falling on deaf ears. It's hard to ignore the glare the woman sends her husband when he mentions sharing Jack's story. Jack's hopeful, hoping it would finally spread word to the kids, but his hope dies when the woman drags the man out of the room with Sophie following. With a glare to the glass, which starts to frost over, and a final glance at the couple, Jack moves to the roof.

He stares at the moon, his hood covering his snow-white hair as he clutches his shepherd's stick. "If there's something I'm doing wrong, can you just tell me what it is? Because I've tried everything and no one ever sees me." When the only response he receives is absolute silence, Jack's please grow louder. "You put me here. The least you could do is tell me...tell me why?"

Still, no matter how much he waits upon the moon's answer, nothing comes. Jack sighs, throwing his head down. Just as he's about to let the wind take him away, something gathers his attention. He glances down, hearing faint yelling in the house below him. He hesitates, knowing it's not his business, but he moves forward anyway. It's not like they will know he is there - he isn't disturbing anyone. So, as his feet land on the Haddock's frozen porch, he slowly moves into the house. He's careful to keep frost off of any house items, but he can't control the cold breeze that follows him. And with each soft-padded step, Jack begins to regret his decision to walk in.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"There's nothing wrong with kids having a childhood!"

"Jamie is 10 years old, and you're still telling him a bunny goes and hides eggs in the woods! And he believes you!"

Jack grimaces, moving into the kitchen. Jamie's father rests at the table, holding his head in his hands as his wife paces the kitchen.

"What's wrong with that? As you said, he's 10! It's not like he's already off to college or something!" Hiccup exclaims, lifting his head. He catches sight of the frozen spirit standing in his kitchen, but he's too annoyed to care.

"He will be!" Astrid yells back, throwing her arms up. "He doesn't have to be like you!"

"What's so bad about being like me? I'm the father, Astrid!"

"And I'm the mother! I'm the one who went through the procedures to bring that boy into this world - you didn't have to do anything! He's my kid-"

Hiccup stands abruptly, the chair skidding to the floor. "He's ours! I don't care that I wasn't pregnant - that kid is my flesh and blood just as much as he is yours!"

"... and I don't want him to be an outcast, like you!"

The couple quiets, staring one another in the eye. They're both annoyed, but Jack can see the pain in Hiccup's eyes.

Hiccup draws in a quiet breath, trying to calm his raging anger as he stares at his wife. "If you're so scared he's going to be an outcast - why didn't you raise him on knives and lies? That was our childhood, Astrid. We were raised on the idea that wielding an ax at 15 was completely normal! We weren't raised on amazing stories that gave us wonder, and love for the little things. We were raised to believe if we didn't fight, we were weak, and we would die. That's not what I want for our son. And I really hope that's not what you want for him, either."

Before Astrid can get in a reply, Hiccup grabs his coat and hobbles outside. Jack glances at Astrid, watching as she aggressively starts washing the dishes and throwing the plastic ones into the cabinets. Then, he follows after Hiccup. Only now does he notice Hiccup's missing limb, as the man hobbles to sit on the swing on their porch. He must've taken off the prosthetic at some point. Jack almost regrets making it snow so hard - Hiccup sits down on the frozen pile of snow, acting unfazed as he stares at the forest. His gaze is empty, mind wandering elsewhere. Jack pauses, hesitating, before sitting down beside him.

"I know you can't hear me - or even see me for that matter - but you're a good father. That kid loves you, I've seen it every time I come here. You're doing good, and I hope no one else tries to tell you differently. Those kids adore you, and I admire you, honestly. By now, I would've given in - just let my kids 'grow up'. But, you keep fighting against it. You let them have a childhood as amazing as the beginning, for as long as possible. It's admirable, and I'm sure the big guys seriously appreciate your help with those little believers."

Jack stops, looking back to the man. He feels ridiculous - he's basically talking to himself right now. However, that feeling disappears when he sees Hiccup staring up at the stars, shoulders finally relaxing as he melts into the bench with a small smile on his lips. Did I do that? Jack grins, even though there's a little voice in the back of his head reminding him that Hiccup cannot hear or see him. As far as Jack can tell, at this moment, he managed to help someone. And while the guy's past intrigues Jack (Heck, he was apparently raised as a warrior and he was missing almost an entire leg), the winter spirit's fine with just seeing the father's eyes finally gain its usual glow and the stress leave him with the rush of freezing wind.

Jack's temporarily impressed with how well Hiccup is handling the cold as well. The jacket Hiccup grabbed lays on his lap, and the man himself just sits in the snow in loose jeans and a white T-shirt. Jack grins once more, moving his sights back onto the sky. They sit like that for hours, and Jack occasionally humors himself by messing with the snow or saying something really stupid to a non-existent crowd. He's proud to say Hiccup's smile never fades throughout the night.

However, it's time for Jack to depart. With one last glance at Hiccup, Jack dashes to the internet cables - reaching his hands into Sandy's dream sand with a grin of his own spreading. And with his distraction, he misses the way Hiccup looks directly at him with a small, grateful smile. Finally, with one last glance into the sky with a gaze that holds more love and adoration then for just the stars, Hiccup moves inside. Everyone's asleep, as expected. Hiccup rushes to the closet after tossing on his coat and grabs the large travel bag hidden in the darkest corner. He moves back to the porch, placing his shoes - and leg - on before locking up his house and placing his keys in his pocket.

Just as Jack sets off to find the source of commotion within an alleyway, Hiccup rushes into the woods behind his house with a large grin.