He stared at the sight. Astrid's golden hair was coming out of the braid, her azure eyes shimmering with tears and she was desperately struggling against the much bigger and more powerful teen who had her helpless in his grasp. Dogsbreath was clearly drunk, his eyes hazy and movements a little clumsy...but more than compensated for by his strength. Astrid didn't stand a chance.

He sneaked up the stairs until he was fully on the landing, watching the struggle and Astrid's eyes alighted on him. The azure depths were dark with desperation.

"Help me," she pleaded, struggling. Dogsbreath blinked and looked at him...then his face fell into a scowl.

"Get lost, fishbone!" he sneered, his voice slurred.

"Hmm...may be a problem since I have an excellent sense of direction," Hiccup shot back, assessing his options. There didn't seem to be any especially promising since he knew Dogsbreath could probably beat him to a pulp without breaking a sweat and probably still hang onto Astrid.

"Well, take your sense of direction and frickin' get outta here!" Dosgbreath sneered. "Me and Miss Perfect have got some fun planned..."

"Get off me!" Astrid shouted. "Please..." Dogsbreath dragged her back into the bedroom and kicked the door closed, then dragged the girl towards the bed, tossing her down and pinning her to the bed. Staring up at the more powerful boy, she continued to struggle and tears spilled from her terrified eyes. "Please...get off me..." she whispered as he began to slide her dress up.

Hiccup stared at the closed door and heard the whispered plea. And while she had been cruel and dismissive to him and treated him unfairly-even when he had helped her-she was a human being and she was afraid and powerless. He glanced at the door. Dogsbreath would make his life Hel...so he might as well make it worth his while. Then he saw what he needed...

"No..." Astrid whimpered...and then the door slammed open and Dogsbreath looked up-to meet a chair. He gave a loud grunt as Hiccup swung the chair again and knocked him off the pinned girl. Astrid was frozen, face streaked with tears and trembling. Her scarlet dress was slid up above her waist, displaying white lacy panties that Dogsbreath in his drunken clumsiness hadn't managed to remove...yet. Hiccup grabbed her wrist and hauled her to her feet.

"C'mon-I think I only stunned him," he said urgently. "He really does have rocks for a head!" She was shaking but he pulled her onto the landing and cast around for the bathroom. She paused, then darted towards the stairs. "No!" he hissed. "Madguts and Savage are down there by the door. I'm sure they know he was up there with you. They'll hold you up until he can get you!" She froze and stared at him with frightened eyes.

"What?" she whispered. He looked embarrassed.

"They're not very nice people," he admitted. "Sorry. Now come on unless you want to wait for him to get up and come for you again?" She snatched her purse-which she had dropped-in the struggle-and followed him into the bathroom. He slammed the bolt home and winced, staring around. "Are you okay? He didn't...you know...?" he asked her in a gentler voice. She shook her head, still breathing fast and wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"No...he didn't," she admitted, still very shaken. "What do we do now?" Hiccup went to the window and opened it, shoving it wide open. There was the garage roof, a few yards down and almost directly below the bathroom. A blast of cold air hit his face and he glanced around. The garage was far enough to the side of the house that they could sneak down the other side and make it to the road unseen. He beckoned her over.

"Do you think you can make that?" She peered down in shock, then read his face: he was deadly serious. And then she heard hammering at the door and the sounds of a horribly familiar voice.

"Haddock! You're a dead man!"

"And the hits just keep coming! I'm surprised the FBI aren't after me as well now," he commented dryly.

"No sweat!" she said, pulling her heels off. She would have to jump barefoot, but it was better than breaking her neck. With Hiccup's help, she got onto the window sill and he helped lower for down so she only had a few feet to drop. Even so, she still landed awkwardly and almost lost her footing...but in a flash, Hiccup was by her side, steadying her.

"Careful, Miss Perfect," he murmured softly. "It's quite a drop." He peered down and found the water butt. "Step on there and then jump down," he told her, swiftly lowering her down to the barrel. She jumped and hit the ground, biting a groan as the gravel bit into her soles. She glanced up as he landed beside her, pulling her into the shadows and out of view of the window.

"What do we do?" she asked, leaned down to pull her shoes back on. He sighed.

"Go home," he told her simply. She paused...and then groaned.

"I'm staying with Heather...and she's..."

"Don't tell me...I'm telepathic like this...she's in there?" he asked her sarcastically, jerking his head towards the house. She nodded.

"Er...yes..." she admitted. He peered round the corner and saw Madguts and Savage still standing by the front door, smoking and chugging spirits. As he watched, Dogsbreath erupted through the front door and started talking animatedly with the others. They immediately straightened up and started scanning the front lawn. He sank back into the shadows with a groan, running his fingers through his messy auburn hair. Astrid inspected him, starting to shiver. "Not good?"

"Worse," he sighed. "They're looking for you..."

"But...why?" she asked, her voice wavering. Her teeth began to chatter. With a sigh, he stripped his jacket off and handed it to her and she gratefully put it on, feeling the residual warmth from his body. He sighed.

"Which way is your home?" he asked her.

"I don't have my key-I'm supposed to be staying with Heather..." she protested.

"Text her and tell her you weren't feeling well and went home," he advised her.

"But I don't have my key!" she repeated.

"And your room doesn't have a window?" he asked her, an amused quirk of his lips challenging her.

"Yes, but..."

"And you've never climbed out of your window and sneaked out?" he asked her.

"No! I would never...!" she protested hotly. He raised his hands, a teasing smirk on his lips.

"Sorry, Miss Perfect-I forgot good girls don't sneak out," he mocked her. "But do they sneak in?"

"Well, I..." she began. He sighed.

"Look, Astrid...you can either sneak in and say in the morning you weren't feeling well and came home late rather than staying at Heather's or you can walk up to your front door in your party dress and your heels and explain what happened," he told her. "But please make a choice because it's freezing and I don't wanna stand around all night!" She nodded.

"Home is that way!" she said and pointed-in the direction that went past the drive. He sighed.

"We have to go this way," he explained, gesturing in the opposite direction. "We'll go round the block and then walk home. Is it far?" She nodded and peered at her feet. Her heels were definitely not made for walking and she would be limping by the time she got home-but she tightened her grasp on her purse and followed Hiccup as they headed off down the road. It never occurred to her not to trust him.

The walk was cold and long and her feet felt as if they were on fire by the time they reached her street. She didn't know what to say to her saviour so she kept largely silent and he walked quietly alongside her, his green eyes occasionally flicking up to check there was no one following them. Hiccup was shivering slightly as he walked beside her, his deep red shirt not really offering much protection against the frosty night. Her home was in sight when she stopped and turned to face him.

"Why?" she asked him softly. "Why me? Why the others?" He sighed, rubbing his hands together to keep warm.

"Since I was unsuspended and everyone thinks I fingered Snot and Dagur, I haven't really been in their confidence," he admitted. "But I have no idea why they made me come this evening...maybe to make sure I had a thoroughly miserable time. But they were talking because they wanted to have some fun with your or one of your girlfriends. I think they reckon you're too full of yourselves?" Her eyes sparkled with anger and he raised his hands. "Their words, not mine!" he protested.

"Go on..." she growled.

"So I think Dogsbreath decided he fancied his chances with you," he admitted. "The others were meant to keep watch. I guess Ruff will be harassing Eret all night but Cami was hanging around Dagur and I don't know about Heather..."

She gave a small smile. "I texted Heather to tell her what happened. She'll have told Cami as well. But in any case, I know Heather will be safe from Dagur. She's his half-sister and though he's officially crazy, he wouldn't harm her."

"What? Half-sister? How come I never heard that?" he gasped.

"They don't publicise it," Astrid explained easily. "Look-their parents divorced-Heather lives with her Mom and her new husband while Dagur lives with their father. I think Heather wants not to be Dagur's sister at school and I think he feels the same about her-they're very different people. But he wouldn't hurt her."

"Shame it doesn't extend to you," he muttered as they peered at the dark house. "Which one is yours?" She led him round back and pointed to a window with a trellis below, smothered in Virginia creeper. He swarmed up the trellis and tested her window, managing to fiddle it open. Then he helped her up and into the bedroom.

She kicked her painful shoes off, clicked the bedside lamp on and immediately felt awkward. Hiccup Haddock was standing in her bedroom by the window, lanky, tall and skinny, hair dishevelled, looking distinctly nervous in his red shirt and dark jeans. His emerald eyes darted around the neat room: the desk by the wall neatly arranged with computer and a shelf of books; the bed by the window-but not directly against-and a small sink and washstand occupying another corner. The walls were a pale blue and the carpet a homely beige. She took his jacket off and handed it to him and he wordlessly put it on. He almost looked relieved to swing his leg over the window sill.

"Wait...will you be okay getting home?" she asked him. He paused. The house was certain to be locked tight and his options were limited to the shed or to Gobber's-both of which would be a long cold walk for any equally cold bed. He nodded.

"I'll be fine," he muttered, looking into he darkness.

"You-you could stay..." she blurted, astonished at what had come over her. His head snapped round and the expression of shock was almost comical. "Not like that, mister pervy," she chided him. "On the floor...I mean...if you want..." He stared. "It is late and very cold and...are you going to say anything...?"He swallowed and a very small but genuine smile tilted his lips.

"That's...kind," he admitted, "But it'll cause too much trouble..."

"You've saved me from a lot more," she told him. "Just don't let my Mom see you..." She grabbed one of her pillows and two rugs from the bed. "Here..." She tossed them to him and slowly, he swung his leg back into the room, quietly closing the window and pulling the curtains closed.

"Um...I could be a mass rapist..." he suggested.

"After tonight...doubt it," she shot back with a trusting smile.

"Adios reputation," he muttered but gave a small smile and shrugged his jacket off. She grabbed some pyjamas and headed for the door. She smiled at his quirked eyebrow.

"I'm changing the bathroom-mister pervy-and I'll leave Mom a note so she doesn't freak when she finds me here in the morning..." He smiled and set to making his little nest. But when she returned, ten minutes later with washed face, cleaned teeth and hair loosely braided for the night, all she heard was quiet breathing...and when she looked in the gap between the bed and her window, she found him wrapped in a blanket, curled up on her floor, peacefully asleep..