There was a crash downstairs.

Valkyrie ran as fast as she could, shadows whirling around her finger, just in case. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she slowed. She didn't want to run into a trap. She walked into the kitchen.

There was someone waiting for her.

She drew a shocked breath.

"Skulduggery!" she said, "Not to be rude or anything, but umm… why are you in my house? And what was that bang I heard?"

"What? No, 'Wow, Skulduggery made it back from the Dead – for the second time!' Or, if that's too much for you, just an 'I missed you', would be nice, you know."

She drew in a breath, remembering.

"Sorry, I-I, forgot… I." Her eyes went hazy, and focussed again. She went as pale as a sheet.

She screamed and skitted back a few steps, as if recoiling from a snake. "Why - Why do you keep coming back?" She asked, in a low voice. "I know you're not real. Can't I just get on with my life? I tried to get you back, okay?" Her voice got louder and louder, until she was shouting at him. "I'd do more if I could! But it's not possible for another ten million years! Ten, Million, Years! I'll be dead by then!" I found your skull, after seventy-eight years of hard work, but it won't work, okay? I did my best, and so did Ghastly and Tanith, but it didn't work! Why am I even talking to you, like you actually exist? I'm just… talking to myself. I just, just… just go away, okay?"

Skulduggery didn't move, afraid that the slightest movement would make her angry again.

Slowly, so slowly, he moved his hand out towards her.

"Touch me, Val."

She refused to even look at him.

"Val? Valkyrie Cain, can you hear me?"

No response.

"I can wait forever, if need be. Just touch the hand – if I am a hallucination, which I am not, then I can't hurt you, can I?"

She glared at him. "It hurts here," she said thumping her chest. "But do you care? No!"

Skulduggery still hadn't moved his arm.

"Just touch it."

She struck her hand out fast, as if excpecting to meet no resistence. She was surprised when she did. "Oww! Friggin oww!"

"Wait… Skulduggery?"

He nodded.

"Just… stay there. Don't move… or sit, or whatever, but stay here, okay?" She asked.

He nodded again.

Okay, kiddliewinks! This will be a twoshot. All will (maybe) make sense by the end… I hope…

Anyway,

Stargirl844