A/N: I started writing this while working on A Bouquet for You. It focuses on the relationship between Skulduggery and China. I think, deep down, they're still friends. Sort of. Enjoy!

There were few people in the world that could make China Sorrows laugh. And if she thought about it, both of them were dead.

However, because one of them was a member of the living dead, her amusement wasn't an entirely lost cause.

China smiled as she poured the tea into a cup, watching the steam curl upwards.

Skulduggery Pleasant was an enigma. He was unique, an entity more rare than most of the items kept in the Sanctuary's Repository. He was one of the most complicated men she knew, his suave demeanor disguising the hatred and rage that still lurked deep within his soul.

In truth, Skulduggery made her feel more emotions than she had ever thought possible. Fear, excitement, anxiety, passion, anger, joy, desperation. Bravery. Sadness. Love.

Even now, as all her old allies prepared to wreak havoc on the world and she sat curled up in an armchair with a book, she thought about the skeleton detective. She still remembered what he looked like before death had stripped him of his flesh—tall and lean, dark hair sweeping his brow, the sharp, angular line of his jaw, the midnight-blue eyes that had the disturbing tendency to melt women's hearts.

She hated to admit it, but once she had been one of those foolish women who swooned whenever he so much as blinked in her direction. Perhaps she still was.

She took a sip of her bitter tea, letting the hot liquid burn a path down her throat, and sighed. The rain rattled on the roof as darkness settled over Dublin, turning her romantic view of the city into a soiled painting, the many streetlights and glowing buildings barely penetrating the swirling drizzle. The weather fit her mood—wistful, depressed, and somber.

"Penny for your thoughts." China turned her head from the window to find the very man she had been thinking about.

She smiled slightly. "I was just thinking how much I dislike rain," she replied. "Rain seems to wash all the color from the world, don't you think?"

He shrugged. "It's a free carwash."

She laughed and rose to help him slip out of his sopping coat, ignoring the damp circles he was leaving on her clean carpet. "I had almost given up on you," she said, draping the coat over the back of a chair. "Not that I would have blamed you, of course. It's rather unpleasant outside, don't you think?"

"Depends on who you are, I suppose." He turned to face her, pulling off his gloves. "Valkyrie loves the rain."

She sighed again, folding her arms. "You adore her, don't you?"

"It's been a long time since I've been around someone so naïve. It's refreshing."

China walked over to her desk as Skulduggery unwound the scarf from his neck and laid it on top of his coat. "Sorry about the mess," he said, removing his hat and wringing out the water. "I'll clean it up."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I realized that fact a long time ago. You always seem to be ruining something." She turned back around and watched as he raised his hand, drawing all the rainwater out of the carpet and depositing it in her bathroom sink. She smiled again. "Yet you always redeem yourself." Holding a slim, rectangular box in her hand, she grinned.

Skulduggery stepped over, lifting the box into the light. "Ah," he said, "High Society. My favorite."

"I thought so." She gestured to the next room. "Shall we watch it?"

He offered her his arm and she led him to a pale green room with a velvety couch and a large television set. As he settled into the couch, she popped the disc into the player and pressed PLAY.

Gracefully sinking into the soft cushions, she let her head recline against the seat as the movie flickered on. After a moment, her head moved to lean against his bony shoulder and she felt his arm slide across her back and relax.

"Penny for your thoughts," he murmured halfway through.

China smiled. "Do you remember when this movie premiered at the Hibernian?" she whispered back.

He nodded. "As I recall, you went with me to see it."

"And you've been in love with Grace Kelly ever since."

He chuckled and adjusted his arm. "You were the only person who would see it with me five times."

"Seven, actually."

"Really?"

Her smile broadened. "Would I lie to you?"

He paused. "Would you?"

"Was it just like you remembered?"

"I didn't remember Grace Kelly being quite so pretty."

China giggled as she handed him his hat. "Of course you comment on the actress's appearance."

"I'm a man. It's what I do."

She watched as he slipped his long arms through the sleeves of his overcoat. He reached over to grab his gloves and she stepped forward, buttoning it up for him. "A penny for your thoughts," she said.

He didn't answer right away, but after a moment he said, "I don't understand you, China."

"What do you mean?"

"Your nature. While I'm alive you're a raving Faceless Ones fanatic, the moment I'm dead you switch sides, and then you still make time to stab me in the back." He raised his head. "I don't understand your nature, China."

Gently winding his scarf around his neck, she sighed. "There was once a man who found an injured snake," she began, "so he took it home and nursed it back to health. One day the snake bit him and the man asked, 'Didn't I take good care of you? Didn't I save you? Why did you bite me?' And do you know what the snake said?"

Skulduggery shook his head.

"He said, 'But you knew I was a snake, didn't you?'" She tied the scarf into a knot and stared at his chest. "I'm sorry my nature isn't easier to discern."

"I don't mind." Lifting her eyes, she arched a delicate eyebrow skeptically. "I said I didn't understand you. I never said I minded. Besides," he shrugged, "my nature is dark and twisted too."

Shaking her head, she cupped his skull in her dainty hands. "I will never understand you either."

They stood staring at each other for a few moments. "I should get going."

"Yes, you probably should."

"Shall we do this again?"

"As long as I get to pick the movie. I'm thinking To Catch a Thief."

Skulduggery chuckled. "Grace Kelly's in that, isn't she?"

"Yes she is." Standing on her tiptoes, China lightly pressed a kiss to his cheekbone. "Have a pleasant night."

"I'll make sure to avoid any sorrows."

She quirked her lips. "Really?"

"Really. Goodnight China." Shoving his hands in his pockets, he strode out the door.

China placed two fingers over her lips and smiled. "Goodnight," she whispered.