as promised, here's the third one :) It still in the vein of them being older (17ish). I don't know it just sort of came to me and I jumped on it (story ideas are sometime seriously slippery little devils and if you don't subdue them, they'll run away and never been seen again...little bastards...)

Anywhooo...

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.

ENJOY!

The storm came up fast, seemingly out of nowhere. Fifteen minutes ago, it had been a calm sea and nearly cloudless sunset and now the lightning crashes all around them in the heavy dark. The rain hammers them flat against the boat bottoms and their dragons' backs. The thunder booms so loud, Fishlegs swears there's a ThunderDrum hiding somewhere around here. Astrid doesn't think so. It's just an early spring storm that's still clinging to the ferocity of the winter ones.

She tugs at the rope connecting herself and Signy to Snotlout and his Monstrous Nightmare. With the rising wind and stinging rain, it'll be too easy for the net to get tangled around their dragons and then they're both done for. Together, they carefully lay the full net in the belly of her father's ship. Working quickly, they both dismount their dragons and unhook the lines running through their saddle while her father helps to tie the net off.

Something doesn't feel right, though. She can't put her finger on what it is exactly and so she does a head count. Snotlout is on the other side of the skiff, getting ready to take off again. Her father is bringing in the sails. On the other boat, the twins and Fishlegs are tying off the other net and on the third boat, Astrid only sees her father's apprentices. No black dragon, no blacksmith, she realizes and her stomach drops to her feet with a sickening lurch of an incoming wave.

"Where's Hiccup?" she calls over the rising wind. "Where's Toothless?"

Everyone's faces fall as they conduct a similar headcount.

Astrid hurries to finish unhooking the Nadder from the net when some shouts: "SEA MONSTER!" She grips Signy's saddle strap and peeks over the side of the skiff. Sure enough a huge dark shape moves through the crashing waves toward them with such speed, it couldn't be anything else. Astrid looks around and grabs a rusty, forgotten boning knife hidden underneath a coil of rope. What she wouldn't give for her trusty axe.

As soon as she straightens again, a pair of bright green eyes appear just over the edge and instantly, Astrid drops the knife. Astrid and her father help haul Toothless over the side. But to her horror, the saddle is empty. No, she looks closer. Not empty. On the left side, in the special metal stirrup, she sees the bottom half of Hiccup's leg with a bit of wood still clinging to the metal. She curses under her breath and by the look on Toothless' face, he's doing the same.

Toothless shakes his head and tries to stand but is shaking from the cold. "Stay here. I'll bring him back, I promise." She whispers to the dragon.

She leaps up on Signy and calls out her orders, her voice barely booming above the thunder. "'Lout, you go South! Ruff, Tuff go North! 'Legs, keep an eye out and keep the lights going!" The others jump to it without a second thought or comment.

Just as she and Signy are about to take off, her father holds her back. "We can't stay out long! Be quick and be careful!"

"You should start heading back," she says, double checking her saddle. "I don't want us out here longer than we have to be. Especially when I bring Hiccup back." She smiles. "Keep the lights on."

"Always," he promises.

" Look after Toothless, keep him warm. I'll be back."

Signy takes off as Astrid her father give the order to raise anchor.

The wind blasts them, so much so, Astrid has to lay as flat against the dragon's neck to avoid being blown off. "Hiccup!" She screeches between thunder booms. "Hiccup!" She greedily scans the ocean's roiling surface when the lightning flashes. Even Signy tries her best to call.

Within moments, both of them are soaked through and now a steady sleet is pushing them back two wing strokes for every one. The wind alternately blast them and then calms, leaving them spinning in the updrafts. Even though it's supposed to be spring, the cold is cutting through every muscle and bone. The necklace, which feels more like a large piece of ice at the moment, presses painfully against her chest under her shirt. His promise reminding her of just what's at stake.

"Come on, Sig," She whispers under the howls of the wind and the lashing rain. "We gotta find him!"

The Nadder beats her wings strongly and dips down closer to the crashing waves, under some of the more tearing wild winds. The closer they get to the water, the more Astrid can see the rising rocks. Signy squawks at the seemingly sudden obstacles and has to dodge them at the last minute. Astrid nearly loses her seat a few times but the pair manage to stay aloft.

The lightning flashes suddenly and she sees a small shape clinging to one of the rocks. And can hear a thin yell that sounds a great deal like: "Astrid!"

"There!" She yells and directs Signy into a dive. She lands the dragon on a tall rock where the figure sits huddled up. "Hiccup!" She calls again and carefully lowers herself down the slippery rock. "Hiccup, it's me!"

A wave crashes over the rock they're clinging to. The icy water hits her like a punch and it makes her suck in a harsh breath of pain, her now numb fingertips barely keep their hold. "Hiccup! Are you there?"

A cold hand reaches up and helps her down the last foot or so. And there is Hiccup, rather pale and shaking but still Hiccup. She throws her arm around him while still holding tight to the rock. Of course, it's like hugging a human icicle but she is too excited by the fact that he is alive to care about the cold. "What happened?" she demands. "Toothless came back without you!"

He swallows hard and tries to keep the shaking out of his limbs. "I-i-is he o-o-okay?" He manages to get out. "The s-storm c-c-ame out of no-where," he swallows hard tries to hold the shaking at bay. "Smash-ed us…again…against a r-rock. L-leg was al-already loose…"

"He's fine, but worried about you." She tries to hold him close to stop the shaking, but she's so cold, it won't do much good. "Come on, can you stand?"

He nods and braces himself against the rock. But she sees that the bottom part of his prosthetic is indeed missing.

"Sig!" She yelps and the dragon leaps down and into the water. Astrid helps Hiccup on first and then settles in behind him. "Come on, girl. We've got to get back," Astrid chatters.

As soon as they take off, Astrid instantly regrets it. The ocean's embrace is terrible but being stung by a thousand icy needles is worse. She flattens herself over top of him, trying to shield him from the rain as much as possible. But both of them are shaking and exhausted from the cold and Astrid has lost the lights on her father's boat. She knows that unless she finds it soon, they're all going to die.

There's another blast of arctic wind and Signy spins, unable to straighten herself out. Astrid can feel Hiccup, who's now unconscious, beginning to slip off. "No…no!" She grips Hiccup's arm and Signy's saddle strap. "Please, please, please…" she begs to whatever gods will listen.

Suddenly, Signy dips to the left and over the crash of the storm, Astrid hears the others. She calls out to them until her voice cracks and she can finally see them. And in the distance, there is a cluster of lights like a band of friendly familiar stars, beckoning them home.

When they land, Astrid carefully helps her father take Hiccup to a delighted but exhausted Toothless. The dragon lifts his dark wing and offers the pair of them a respite from the storm. Signy stands at the back of the skiff, holding her wing out for Astrid's father as he pilots the rest of the way back home.

Astrid sits next to an unconscious Hiccup. Toothless twists himself around the pair of them, keeping the rain out. His wide green eyes watch each and every move they make.

"Hiccup…" her voice breaks from overuse. "Hiccup can you hear me?" She can barely get the words to come out at all. She presses her hand against his chilled cheek. His breathing is steady and calm and it relaxes her a little. "Hiccup? Wake up…"

His cold hand covers hers. He stirs a little and finally opens his eyes. "Where are we?"

"On my Dad's ship." She moves a little, so Toothless can see. The dragon grumbles with happiness.

Hiccup smiles weakly at the dragon, but some of his color is back and he's not shaking as much. "Hey bud…" he holds out an empty palm and Toothless presses his nose to his boy's hand. The dragon draws back, and lays his head on the deck again.

Hiccup focuses on Astrid. "You saved me…" As if just now putting together why she's there.

She shrugs. "You saved me a few times. I just thought I start to pay back my debt."

He grins.

"Besides." She fishes out the charm from under her shirt hem. "You made me a promise and you're not weaseling your way out of it, Sneeze."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he breathes, his eyes closing.

And suddenly she can barely keep her eyes open. The sound of the rain hitting the deck is mesmerizing instead of despised, the thunder seems too far away to worry about and the warmth of the dragon beside them is too much to ignore. Her weary limbs beg to be released from duty, so she lies down next to Hiccup. She reaches out and clasps his hand, a steady reminder that he's here. He opens his eyes a slit and smiles at her, pulling her closer until her head is resting on his shoulder and her hand is still intertwined with his.

Astrid dreams of rain that turns to snow, and that quietness that overtakes the world. She dreams of over bright, multicolored dragons and hears her father yell: "Land HO!" She thinks she can hear someone call her name over and over. And then Toothless growling at whoever yelled. She sees Signy's brilliantly blue scales shining even brighter, too bright… She dreams that Hiccup kisses her temple and it thrills her from head to toe but she doesn't have the strength to return such a gesture. Then she remembers that he has her promise and she has his. And it's enough.

When she opens her eyes, she's in her bed in her house. The rain hasn't gone away; it patters sweetly on the roof and closed window as if in apology for what it put her through last night. Signy hangs upside down from the rafters, swaying a bit as she snores. The house fire is burning in its pit and the rest of the house is quiet.

Astrid jumps out of bed, grabs the first warm item of clothing she can (her mother's wool dress and her boots), tries to call for her father and realizes that nothing is coming out. Not that he's there (she realizes later) to hear her. She presses her hand to her throat and tries to say the dragon's name. Nothing. Nada. Fuming and determined to produce some noise, she balls her hands into fists at her sides and screws up whatever strength she has. Finally she's able to produce a strange barking sound, a bit like a dying whale and Toothless laughing. Of course. All the screaming and the extended time out in the storm didn't help.

Swearing to herself (silently of course), she grabs an over coat and runs as fast as she can to the workshop. Gobber's there, talking to someone she can't see. She stands on her tiptoes and then Toothless' bright green eyes meet hers. He cracks a gummy smile and lets out a little snort of joy.

"Toothless! Get down!" Hiccup calls from inside. The dragon bounds back to him and Astrid steps through the door, suddenly feeling foolish.

"Astrid," Gobber pats her on the back. "Quite a rescue you performed last night, according to your father."

She smiles but shrugs, keeping her eyes on Hiccup where he's sitting next to the forge.

"What? Terror got your tongue?" He wonders.

Astrid points to her throat and makes a slashing motion.

Gobber looks between the two of them and turns his back to change hands. "Did I ever tell you two about the time I lost my leg?" He launches into the story that he's told countless times.

She crosses the room in only three strides to slip next to him, wrapping one hand through the crook of his elbow and rests her chin on his shoulder. He smells like the sea still a little, she probably does too but she doesn't care. He wraps his hand around hers, the calluses and scars as familiar to her as the sun's rise and set. Giving one another private smiles, they sit together next to the forge listening to the story they've heard so many times, they know all the words to.