Summer Kisses, Winter tears

Part 1 of 2

Summer Kisses, Winter tears

Chapter 1

"-appy hours, lonely years. But I guess I can't complain. For I still recall the Summer sun. Through all the Winter rain. The fire of love, the fir-" Astrid growled and quickly changed the channel of the small transistor radio she had next to her as she sat on her apartment fire escape smoking. The drag of tobacco did nothing to calm her nerves and the new radio station wasn't helping either. "-ver did fit in too well with the folks you knew. When it's plain to see that the likes of me Don't fit with you. So you traded me for the gaiety of the well-to-do. An-" She growled and just turned off the radio. It seemed even the Golden Oldies were against her.

The door to the apartment opened with a creek and her husband of four years, Hiccup, now stepped in looking like someone had overcooked his broccoli. "Bad day?" She asked while taking another drag of her cigarette.

"Yeah... and..." Hiccup stopped and frowned as he looked at his wife. "I thought you stopped smoking?"

Astrid extinguished the cigarette butt on the metal of the fire escape before climbing back inside, taking her radio with her. "Let's just say, the situation called for it. I needed to unwind."

"Did it help you unwind?' Hiccup then asked as he put his messenger bag down on the sofa before hugging Astrid.

"No... It just made me want to be more stabby," Astrid grumbled though she returned the hug.

"What happened?" Hiccup then asked.

"My stepbrother tracked me down at work," She grumbled. "Turns out him, his wife, and the parental units found out where I'm living and now are vacationing in Berk, demanding to see their grandchildren."

Hiccup pulled back a bit and blinked incredulously. "Yeah I know," Astrid gave a mirthless laugh. "If they think I'm going to bend over backwards for them...."

"It's messed up is what it is." Hiccup frowned. "Why now? Hasn't it been almost a decade since you cut them out of your life?"

"I mean, what am I even going to tell the kids?!" Astrid asked worriedly. "They know my mother is alive but they've been asking why they never got to meet her. I've been putting off that talk for quite a while now,"

"Oh Thor, I knew this was coming," Astrid sighed tiredly. "I just have no idea how the kids will take it. I'll have to tell them tomorrow because Thor knows my mother is determined as hell. She'd find a way to see the kids even if she has to wait outside their school."

"Want me there with you?" Hiccup asked in a reassuring manner and his wife nodded against his shoulder.

Luckily the following day was Saturday and both Astrid and Hiccup had a lie-in, or at least they tried to if not for their seven-year-old who cannonballed onto the bed. "Mommy! Mommy! Zeph won't let me play with her lightsaber!"

Hiccup groaned and tried to hide his face but their son was persistent. Finally, he cracked open an eye and told the boy "Nuffink. It's her toy. She doesn't have to share."

"But dad!!! She's going around the room in a Darth Vader mask yelling execute Order 66!" Nuffink explained as if that was a valid reason. "What's Order 66 dad?"

"It's still a no Nuff," Astrid now sat up. "Leave your sister's stuff alone." Just as they said that however Zephyr appeared in their open doorway, and shouted "Execute Order 66!" before she too divebombed onto the bed giggling.

"Vader never giggled," Hiccup smirked as he grabbed their daughter and picked her up.

"Looks like we won't be having that lie-in," Astrid rubbed the sleep out of her eyes while Hiccup asked who wanted pancakes.