Author's Note: I am so, so sorry for the last chapter. Please take this final installment as a peace offering.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or How to Train Your Dragon.

Sentient

Epilogue

"– confirmed that Alvin has been taken into custody. Authorities were able to trace the signal from the detonation of the master bomb to locate his hideout, and it is reported that all the terrorists under his leadership involved in the attack were killed when the building collapsed. The number of civilian casualties –"

North stood at the doorway, watching as Phillip silently padded into the room and draped a blanket over Jack's shoulders. The man was slumped over the table, resting his head on his arms as he slept. Despite having been released from the hospital less than two weeks ago, Jack had insisted on helping him with Hiccup's repairs and North didn't have the heart to turn him down when he had practically begged him to save his homundroid. Besides, it was a good chance to see how well his newest employee could manage on his own.

"Go home, Phil. I will close up," North said, earning an affirmative grunt in response as Phillip left the room.

This wasn't the first time Jack had fallen asleep in the workshop. He practically spent every waking moment there, and while his concerned colleagues stopped by frequently to force food into him and make him return home for a proper night's rest, he would always be back early the next morning without fail, well before opening hours. Phillip had nearly mistaken him for a homeless person sleeping on the doorstep on his first day at work.

Sighing in resignation, North decided to let Jack spend the night. He reached for the remote control to switch off the television in the corner.

"– in a startling scandal that has left the public outraged. Nightlight Industries has been accused of the rash of stolen homundroids in the past year, and it is speculated that they were targeting Sentients as part of an illegal study. Authorities have launched an investigation on the company and –"

To everyone's surprise, it was Aster who had retrieved Hiccup after the paramedics had sedated Jack and taken him away. The Australian had forced his way through the crowd and prevented the cleanup crew from scrapping the homundroid's body, claiming that he knew someone who could fix it and return it to its owner. North's suspicions were confirmed when Aster came to him, and he admitted that he had felt bad for what happened and wanted to help any way he could.

In the meantime, Jack spent four restless days in the hospital. He had a mild concussion, a few cracked ribs courtesy of his homundroid's tight grip on him, several bruises, and suffered from slight oxygen deprivation (he had very nearly been smothered by Hiccup's chest). When he was finally discharged and found out what Aster had done, it took five minutes to pry him off the other man and another ten to get him to stop crying and blubbering his thanks.

But recovering Hiccup's body was only the beginning. The homundroid had sustained major damage: one tailfin had been ripped clean off, its left leg was crushed beyond repair and had to be replaced, multiple bullet wounds littered its body and wings, and its CPU had taken direct blunt force trauma. North warned Jack that Hiccup was an old model and finding parts for it would be difficult, but Jack refused to give up without a fight and swore that he would fix it, with or without North's help.

"I will do my best," North promised solemnly. "But its core is badly damaged, and even if it wakes up, it may not be your Hiccup anymore."

Nevertheless, Jack clung to a thin thread of hope like a lifeline, stubbornly refusing to believe that his homundroid was gone just like that. There was no way he would let the odds beat him so easily, and he tried to convince himself that everything would work out in the end. North would save Hiccup and then he could finally apologize, and even if Hiccup never forgave him, at least it would be alive.

(Except that Hiccup wasn't – "You're just a machine!" he screamed – and the words echoed in his mind like a broken record, haunting his nightmares for months to come.)

Jack was a fast learner and he did everything from fetching North his tools to helping him with the simpler repair work. A mixture of regret, guilt and determination drove him onwards, and he had lost count of the number of times Phil had to step in to bandage his fingers, blistered and bleeding from all the intricate work he was not used to (he had ignored the pain, too numb to even care about his own well-being anymore). While part of him knew there was only so much he could do and he should just leave things to North, all it took was one look at Hiccup's injuries to remind him that it was all his fault, that Hiccup was gone because of him, and it was enough to renew his vigor and redouble his efforts.

(His dream-self turned away from the only person – "You're just a machine!" – that had ever stood by him, and Jack watched in horror as Hiccup literally crumbled into pieces before his eyes and started to burn until there was nothing left but a smoking pile of melted scrap metal.)

The first time he saw Hiccup (or what remained of it) after the attack, he had nearly broken down at the sight of the hollow and vacant expression on its face. North kept a close watch on him that day, but Jack found it slightly more bearable to work on the homundroid after closing its empty eyes and pretending it was asleep (not dead, never dead, because how could something that was never alive to begin with – "You're just a machine!" – be dead?).

Four months later, Hiccup's body was almost as good as new. North had done his best as promised, and now there wasn't a single scratch or dent on the restored homundroid. It could even have been easily mistaken for a brand new model. But Hiccup slept on, and while they spent days trying to figure out why, even North was stumped.

One Friday evening saw Jack remaining behind to tinker with Hiccup's settings after North had stepped out for the day. He felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he fiddled with the wires and switches. It was what had led to Hiccup earning its name after all, and Jack chuckled absently at the memory. He pressed the button at the nape of its neck, crossed his fingers for the umpteenth time, and sighed in disappointment when the homundroid failed to activate (again).

I'm sorry for everything… Please don't leave me like this…

Rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles, Jack tried once more. He placed Hiccup upright on its feet in the middle of the room and checked the homundroid carefully for anything he might have missed, consulting the manual frequently to ensure that everything was where it was supposed to be. Nothing was out of place, but Hiccup's systems still refused to reboot.

I don't care if you hate me for the rest of my life… Just wake up… Please…

Hours passed with no results. Sagging with exhaustion, Jack leaned against the homundroid and draped his arms over its shoulders in a one-sided hug, letting his head fall onto its chest with a loud thunk.

Almost immediately, the room was filled with the hum of machinery as Jack felt the surface beneath his forehead vibrate and warm up. He jumped back with a gasp, holding his breath as he watched familiar green eyes slide open.

"Hiccup! You're okay!" he exclaimed in relief.

"Vocal imprint completed."

Jack froze at the monotonous tone of the words, staring at Hiccup's blank face in shock as the tool in his hand clattered to the floor.

"Would you like to change your default designation?"

"No…" he whispered, horrified. "No NO!"

"Please input my name."

"Hiccup!" Jack grabbed its shoulders and shook it frantically. This can't be happening! It has to be a nightmare, it just has to! I'm probably still sleeping on North's table and I need to WAKE UP NOW! He pinched his arm hard for good measure, but the pain failed to compare to the weight of reality crashing down on him when nothing changed. Months ago, he hadn't understood when North warned him that there was a chance the homundroid would not be the same, but now he did.

"Name registration completed. Master, what is your command?"

"Hiccup, it's me! It's Jack! Don't you remember?"

The homundroid paused and stared at him intently. Jack dared to let himself hope as he tentatively reached out to cup its cheeks with shaking hands. "Hiccup?" he whispered, searching its forest green optics for any shred of recognition. Please please please…

"I do not understand. Master, what is your command?"

Jack's heart stopped.

His face crumpled with devastation as hot tears began to well up in his eyes. "J-just… Just stop talking for a moment," he choked out, not wasting any time before throwing himself at the homundroid, squeezing it in a tight embrace. "Please Hic," he whimpered, his breath hitching as he sobbed. "Please come back to me…"

In a last ditch effort, Jack abruptly crushed his lips against Hiccup's in a desperate kiss. He poured every ounce of emotion he could into it, almost as if he could will them back into the homundroid, trying to convey just how sorry he was for hurting it, how badly he wanted his snarky and sarcastic companion back, how much he loved his Hiccup.

But as much as its lips were warm and smooth, they were also unmoving and unresponsive. Jack pulled back and sighed dejectedly at the expressionless face staring back at him. Heartbroken, he moved to step away –

Only to find that he could not.

Before he could register that there were arms around his waist keeping him in place, Hiccup blinked once and quickly released him, returning its hands to the side. "Sorry, I –" it caught itself and swiftly clamped its mouth shut, stiffening slightly.

"No, it's okay…" Jack sniffed, looking away. "There's no need to –"

Apologize.

Hiccup was apologizing.

Jack's eyes widened with realization and he whipped his head back to gape at his homundroid, who looked (or was it just him?) fidgety and somewhat uncomfortable under his intense stare.

"You –" he stopped, shaking his head and giving Hiccup a small smile. "Thanks for the hug. I needed that," he said sincerely, watching the homundroid carefully for any traces of reaction. It seemed hesitant to respond, but Jack told himself he wasn't imagining the slightly bashful look that crossed its face. He laughed softly as he wiped the remaining tears off his cheeks. "You're amazing," he whispered, gazing fondly at Hiccup.

This time, there was no mistaking the way its eyes shone a little brighter, nor the faint twitch of its lips as it fought to contain a shy smile at the compliment.

And Jack knew.

The homundroid may have forgotten him, but it was still a Sentient. It would learn again with time and they would have another chance to start over, a chance he was determined not to waste. All that mattered was that his Hiccup was somewhere in there, and it was enough to give him a spark of hope. It would take time and he would have to be patient, but it was a price he was willing to pay.

With that in mind, Jack reached out to grasp the homundroid's hand and gently tugged it towards the door.

"Come on. Let's go home."

And Hiccup followed dutifully behind him, its fingers curling over his ever so slightly.

Author's Note: I hope the epilogue gave you guys some closure, and let me just say how much I appreciate your patience with my slow updates and putting up with my excuses. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope everyone enjoyed the ride. Till next time :)