Message before you read:

Hi! Thank you for clicking on my story. At the time of this message, I have not finished the fanfic, but I'm going to say a little something that may convince you to continue with the traitorous journey that is reading this insane amount of chapters!

There will be mature themes. A lot of mature themes. The story starts by being incredibly like the books, so much so that some of the chapters are essentially the same. By the time you get to about Chapter 30, however, it will begin to be more and more my own, and by the time your at Chapter 50, the books are basically out the window! I think it's the best of both worlds in that way. I hope you can enjoy the two also.

There will be some character dead and disappearances. The Dead Men are safe (mostly ;)). But the criminals are going to end differently to the books as well as happen at different times because 1) fanfiction, and 2) this is a personal creation, not a slightly different version of the original. I am dyslexic and although I try my hardest, there will be a few annoying spelling and sentence structure problems. I read the chapters several times before posting so it shouldn't be too bad.

Everything in this story is explained! By which I mean, don't worry if you don't remember everything in the books. I'm going to go through it just as Valkyrie goes through it. So no worries :)

The only other thing I can say is THANK YOU!


Chapter 1 – Stephanie is Eight

Stephanie ran into her Uncle Gordon's arms for a hug.

"Oof," he groaned. "You're getting big Steph."

"I'm just so awesome," she said, backing up. "Need more space for it all."

He laughed and led her into the house, waving Melissa off. Uncle Gordon looked after Stephanie every weekend and most days after school and had done since he broke his arm a year ago and found he enjoyed the routine. It was a joke in their family now that Gordon was a second father, especially since her real father Desmond passed away when she was little. They got on extremely well, so much so that Melissa couldn't deny her only child time with the man even though she was unsure of his books and some of his friends. She loved Gordon as a brother though so after a few weeks of begging, she allowed it, even letting her have a week with Gordon while she went on a holiday to Spain with her friends.

"What are we doing this weekend?" She asked.

"Oh, I have a few ideas. But remember I also have to finish my book soon so I'll have to work too," he reminded her. That was okay, she had brought her homework and a book with her. For an eight-year-old, she was bright, smart and unusually quick to answer back though a lot of her humour was unappreciated by her family and teachers. It was probably also why she didn't keep friends long, but with Gordon, she could embrace her full self and trade witty remarks without fear of being told off.

They started the morning by taking a drive up to the supermarket and ran around the shop getting everything they wanted. That was followed by ice-cream and they returned to Gordon's house to eat lunch and put away the food. Gordon liked to get work done in the afternoons so they had evenings to have fun again so she was sent to her room to do homework and read. She wasn't allowed to leave the room.

"This house is so big," he's say when she asked. "You'll get lost and I'll never find you and your mum will have my head."

So, she never left. It was an amazing room to be fair, and she even had a laptop and al the new games and toys she could ever want, and Gordon's friends would bring little things for her walls and all imaginable surfaces. They newest things, which she found as soon as she ran in, was sitting on her bed waiting for her. A tiny, tiny charm for her bracelet, made of some smooth stone, in the shape of a heart. She knew who this was from.

There were six of them, she was certain. She kept their things separate so she'll know who got her what. She didn't know their names though, so she renamed them. This person got her jewellery and pretty things, though usually not pink, so she called him Bear. It was rare to get something from him, but she always felt he really thought about what he got her. Another person usually got her clothes, or shoes or bags or little purses or little toys. Everything always had animals on and she adored it all. He was called Panda because of her favourite toy, the only gift she had taken home from Gordon's. Crow always got her silly things like sticks, rubber bugs and really random objects or books that she was confused by.

Snakie got her pink everything, usually clothes, but they were always cool, like pink camo jackets, pink combat boots, a pink nerf gun with glittery bullets that exploded in gold when she shot them. Though they were pink she couldn't help but embrace them with a big grin. Weasel got her food more often than not though he did occasionally send her tickets to an event of some type which she went to with Gordon. Lastly was Wolf, whose gifts she would always take to Gordon to explain and show off. They were always exotic and fun, sometimes and instrument, sometimes a toy, sometimes jewellery, it seems random, but it was always different and intrigued her. Wolf had inspired her to learn dance, which to her mother's joy, and to find her singing talent. She hated singing in front of people, but she had been begged before by the choir teacher at her school to sing, and whilst she had refused adamantly, it had really raised her confidence in herself.

Stephanie did her homework quickly with the stone heart charm and when it was stuffed back into it's folder, she attacked the charm to her bracelet and put it on. It was the perfect size and really pretty. Gordon said he'd get her a new bracelet one day, when she was older and bigger, and they'd put the charms on that one so she'd get to keep wearing the gifts.

She played with the dolls house for a while, and the toys and tried to compete in a chess match against herself, turning the board for every go but she found herself being biased towards the whites who started winning at the start and just gave up on the blacks and set them up for death, so she could win. Looking around the room of stuff she wished she had a friend. So she played her favourite game – imagining she was on an adventure with her friends, with Crow, Bear, Panda, Wolf, Weasel and Snake.

She wasn't sure why, but pretty soon into the game, she heard a noise outside the room. It had been a bang. She went quiet and listened carefully.

Nothing.

If it had been another day, she would have kept playing whatever game she had. But Stephanie and her imaginary friends had been playing 'saviours', where Stephanie would valiantly save all her friends from certain death, and now she was worried Gordon needed saving.

She opened the door very, very quietly.

"Gordon?" She whispered. Nothing. "Gordon?" She shouted. Nothing. "GOOORRRDOOOON!" She screamed. Nothing.

Things were serious then.

Stephanie bit her lip and left the room, something she had never done in the afternoons before. She knew where the office was, which was were Gordon was, a floor above her, so she snuck up the stairs and down the long hallway. She could see from a distance that his door was open slightly and there was light from the spring sun filtering through, and there was the murmur of voices too but she wasn't sure if they were Gordon's.

She snuck closer, stepping around the noisy floorboards until she was besides the door. She held her breath and looked into the crack.

She could see Gordon's desk and there were three chairs in front of it, each of them filled though she couldn't see who by. One of them were in front of Gordon so he couldn't see her.

"How was your time in India?" Gordon asked suddenly. He was changing the topic, she could tell. "Find anything exciting? Any fun stories?"

The man snorted. "Nothing at all. I went for a month and I didn't find a single mercenary matching their description. I just sort of wandered around."

"You never were the best at finding people though," another man with a velvety voice said. She'd heard that voice before but never seen him. "You probably had drinks with and didn't realise."

Gordon and the third man laughed. The first man looked and the second with a scowl and Stephanie got a look at his profile before he turned back to Gordon. "How is your book coming along? Am I going to be a hero?"

Gordon's book was about her friends, Stephanie suddenly realised. Because these men had to be her friends. She started to jig excitedly in place. She really, really wanted to meet them. Who would they be? What did they get her? What other stories did they have?

"It's going well, thank you," Gordon said. "And you hardly think I'm going to tell you that, do you?"

One of the men snorted. "You'd tell China."

"Well, that's here nor there," Gordon claimed. "Did you get that information from her by the way? You never said."

"Yes, I cracked that case a long while ago," the velvet man said.

"We spoke about it this morning."

"Really, the difference between a few hours and a few years is nothing."

They laughed at the man and Stephanie giggled accidently. They went quiet and she held her breath. She was going to be caught. Oh no, where could she hide? Think, think…

Gordon opened his study door and Stephanie shut her eyes so she'd be more hidden. She heard his steps going up and down the hall, looking for her. "Stephanie, where are you? You're not in trouble."

Stephanie opened her eyes. She wasn't in trouble? Well, that changes things.

Gordon was further up the hall where it split into different halls going to other places. She carefully crawled out from behind the counter-thing and tiptoed into the study.

There, three men looked at her. She grinned and ran behind the desk and sat in Gordon's big leather chair.

"Good day," she told them and giggled.

They grinned back. One had his face covered with glasses, scalf and hat, another was a very good looking man and the last was a man with a lot of scars. Stephanie was a little shocked at his appearance but next to the man covering his face she could only assume he was getting off lightly and gave him a bigger smile.

"You're my friends," she whispered. "The one's who keep bringing me things."

The one with scars laughed deeply. "Yes, I suppose we are."

"You're little Stephanie," the pretty one grinned. She squeaked and blushed, before blushing more at her reaction.

"Sorry," she croaked out. She turned to the covered man again. "Why are you hidden?"

"I'm sorry?" He asked.

"Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not. I'm right here."

"Your face," she specified, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I have a hideous face," he said.

"Oh. You're the one who brings weird things, aren't you? Why do you do that?" She questioned.

He tilted his head. "I do not. I bring things that will aid your development."

She frowned at him. "Like plastic bugs?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

She shook her head. "Who are you?" She asked the other two.

"My name is Ghastly," the scared one said. "I'm a tailor."

"I'm Dexter. I'm awesome."

"So am I," she grinned. "Do you bring all the different thing from everywhere?"

"I suppose so. Do you like them?" He asked.

"I love them! I have everything in my room, you should come see!"

Gordon came into the room then. "Stephanie!"

He looked mad.

"Oh, sorry Uncle Gordon," she said, trying to look sorry. "I forgot you were going to get lost."

The others tried to smother laughs.

"I didn't know were you were. Why did you leave your room?" He asked more kindly.

She shrugged. "You walked right passed me so I came and met my friends. I was going to show Wolf my room."

"Wolf?" He frowned.

"I'd have shown the others too, promise!"

He shook his head. "Come on, back to your room."

"What?" She asked, really upset. "But I only just got to meet them! I want to play a game. I want to know were all those things came from, I want Panda to teach me how he makes everything!"

"No," Gordon said, picking her up. She was about to start squirming but didn't want to have a tantrum in front of her friends. That was just embarrassing. "I told you to stay put."

"I heard a bang. I though you were alone and hurt, alright? I wanted to help."

"You don't have to worry about me," he said. "Now say goodbye."

She looked at her three friends with big eyes and they filled with tears. When would she see them again? "I want a hug."

She was let down and she hugged Crow first because he was nearest before hugging Panda in a tight grip, and finally Wolf. "Be good," he told her, "and we can talk another day."

She squeezed him tighter. "I'm not leaving."

He laughed and squeezed her tighter too and they started a squeezing competition. "I'll squish you!" She shouted. "No Gordon! I have to squeeze his butt off!"

Wolf roared in laughter and Gordon finally pried her away. "I love you," she said, and she was forced from the room trying to see them again.

Gordon shut the door softly and took her back to her room. He sat on her bed and she looked at him from the middle for a moment before sitting beside him.

"Are you upset?" She whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you."

He sighed. "It's alright." He looked at her with a smile, but she could see he was upset. "I was just worried when I couldn't find you."

Stephanie gave him a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too Steph."