This story is inspired by the song "All I Wanna Do, Is Make Love To You" by the band "Heart". For those of you who have heard this song before is probably knowing what this story's going to be about ;)

For this story I imagined a world where Valkyrie, Skulduggery and the others are not magical, but just normal humans. Valkyrie and Skulduggery work as detectives here too, but Valkyrie is 25 and Skulduggery 28.

Please review! It helps me in my work! :)

The car stereo played a popular song on the radio while the rain poured over the windshield. The windscreen wipers swept back and forth and did their best to keep the rain away. No other cars could be seen and the headlights could not do much to keep the darkness away.

Valkyrie Cain, 25 years old, detective and a young woman in her best years, sang in tune with the song and let her fingers drum against the steering wheel. Her thoughts were far away and it was just that she could concentrate on her driving. She had lost her beloved uncle Gordon Edgley a few weeks ago of what they initially thought had been a heart attack, but then had turned out to be poisoning. The murderer had been found and imprisoned, but his motive to want to kill her uncle had not yet been discovered. For some reason, Nefarian Serpine would not tell that little detail.

She had demanded responsibility of the case, but her boss, China Sorrows, had expressly said no to her request. She thought that since Gordon was a close relative to her, her feelings could come in the way of her work of finding the murderer. Something that Valkyrie obviously thought was bullshit, but she'd known better than to say no to China.

Instead it had been her colleague Tanith Low that had taken over and Valkyrie had to admit that she had done a very good job. Tanith was a big fan of Gordon's books and had liked him as a person as well. Valkyrie had to laugh when she remembered the first time Tanith had met her uncle and asked him for an autograph that he more than happy had given to her.

The only thing that disturbed her was that Tanith had reported that another detective who'd also known and been friends with her uncle had helped Tanith in the investigation. Who this man was and why he was assigned to assist her department was still a mystery she couldn't solve. Tanith had told her that this mysterious man had presented himself as "Inspector Me" and that it was his cover name, his alias, since he didn't want to reveal his real name. The only thing she had managed to get out of Tanith in addition to his name was that it was apparently thanks to him that they had managed to find and arrest Serpine.

A movement made her wake up from her thoughts, and when she focused her eyes on the road again she could see the silhouette of a young man in her own age walking along the roadside. He was tall and narrow and wearing a dark blue suit. 'What a strange choice of clothing considering the weather', thought Valkyrie and slowed down. She could now see the man clearer. He had short, black hair, high cheekbones and light blue eyes. Under his suit, she could see that he was muscular, but not in an excessive set. He was more sinewy.

"What is he doing out here at this time of the day and without an umbrella? He has to be soaking wet! He will catch a cold if he does not get dry soon!" Valkyrie said to herself and started to brake while she blinked with the headlights towards the man to catch his attention.

The man stopped and turned around. Their eyes met and Valkyrie felt like an electric shock went through her. She lost her breath for a few seconds and felt how her heart started to beat faster. He was so beautiful and she had to admit to herself that he was attractive, very attractive. She felt drawn to him in a way she had never been to any other man before, not even to her partner Fletcher Renn.

Without that she had noticed, she'd stopped the car right next to the man. He still had not let go of her gaze when he knocked on the driver window to summon her attention. She rolled down the window but could not shape any words. When she first saw the man, she had been thinking of asking him if he wanted a ride, but now it was as if her lips had been sewn together. She could not say a single word.

"Sorry if I am bothering you in any way, but it seemed like you were calling for my attention over there. Have I done anything to you?" wondered the man and raised an eyebrow.

The voice of the man was as smooth as velvet, and Valkyrie thought to herself 'I could listen to that voice forever...'

"Yes..." she managed to get out after yet another few seconds of silence. "I could not help but notice that you have no umbrella or other protection against the rain. I thought that... you might want a ride? I'm on my way to Haggard, where are you going?"

The man did not answer her at first, but just kept looking at her with those light blue eyes that caused her insides to tingle as if she had been electrified. "Are you not afraid of that I am going to hurt you? You do not know me at all. I could be a rapist or even a killer."

Valkyrie gave him a smile that told the man she could take care of herself. "Well, of course, you're right, but maybe I should tell you I'm a detective and have taken down men who have been older, bigger and stronger than you. I think I could teach you a lesson in case you tried anything."

The man laughed and the sound caused Valkyrie to shiver. His laughter was as beautiful as his voice. Whole he was something unique. She had never experienced a person who radiated such self-confidence, such strength or was as beautiful as this man. There was something about him that prevented you from not noticing him. He was something else, something that did not belong to this world...

"I believe you in your words, Miss. I'm actually on my way to Haggard where I have a house right outside the city. Since you offered to give me a ride, I would be extremely ungrateful if I declined that offer. If you could drive me downtown, I can walk the rest of the way."

Valkyrie did not answer but just pointed to the passenger seat and gave him a warm smile. She tried to tell herself that the only reason why she was willing to give him a ride was because she felt sorry for him, but she did not really succeed with it. There was something with this man she could not explain. She had a feeling that... they were intended to meet.

The man opened the car door and sat down next to her. He gave her a thankful smile and then put on the seat belt. Valkyrie put in a gear and drove out on the road. The rain poured down on to the car and that plus the windscreen wipers that hit the window were the only sounds that were heard.

"If you're freezing, there's a blanket in the back seat that you can wrap around yourself. I hope you are not allergic to dogs, as there are dog hairs on it. My dog Xena usually uses that blanket when she and I drive long distances."

"Thank you, that was kind of you." The man turned around and grabbed the blanket. He wrapped it around himself and sighed. "What a cozy blanket... I did not understand how wet I actually was until now."

Valkyrie could not help laughing but interrupted herself immediately since the man could take it the wrong way. "Sorry, I did not mean..."

"Oh, do not worry! I understand you. In spite of everything, I should blame myself for going out in this weather."

"Why are you out in this weather, really? No normal person would voluntarily go out in this weather."

"Haha, if you knew me, you would understand that I'm not what people call 'normal'. I'm actually quite famous for making strange things and breaking the rules. Why have rules if you can not break them?"

Valkyrie laughed without interrupting herself this time. "Just like that, I usually describe myself and I usually also say that rules are meant for breaking. I guess your friends and acquaintances, maybe even your coworkers, do not like your 'methods'?"

"It's actually my coworkers who do not like my methods. I do not have so many friends and no family. They died a few years ago. I had enraged a mafia boss and he had laid a bomb under my car. Just this day me and my wife had decided to switch cars, since she and our child was going to Dublin for shopping. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Valkyrie was shocked by how honest and how easily the man could tell all this to her. "I'm... sorry. It must have been difficult. But how come that you are still living to this day?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "In the beginning, yes. He thought that he had got his revenge on me, since he had taken away those I cared for the most in the whole world and that I could die for. It was there where he made his misstake. I managed to find him in the end and then I got my revenge. Let us say he will not be able to kill any more innocent mothers and children more times."

The coldness in the mans voice got Valkyrie to almost drive off the road by pure shock. Normally she would have thrown out the man directly and left him to his destiny, but not now. Even if this man just had confessed to killing someone, she understood why. Had she not herself wanted to kill Serpine in the same moment that she had got the news that he'd been arrested and confessed to the murder of her uncle? Yes, she had and even if it had not been like her to think those thoughts, she had not been afraid of herself but had told herself that this time it was different, that now it was personal.

So instead of throwing out the man, she took a harder grip on the steering wheel and concentrated on the driving. She saw in the corner of her eye that the man was watching her, as if he wanted to try to understand what she was thinking about. She decided to save him some time by telling him.

"I know exactly what you have gone through. I lost my uncle Gordon Edgley, the famous best selling writer that writes about magicians and monsters, a couple weeks ago. He was murdered by poisoning. I asked my boss to be a part of the investigation, but she forbid me. I got really angry and in secret kept checking what kind of progress they were doing in the case before I just some days ago got the news that they had found the man that had done it. As soon as I found this out I wanted to run into his cell and kill him with my bare hands. I wanted to see how the life slowly would dissapear from his eyes while I would beat him bloody. I still want to kill him for what he has done towards me and my

family, but not as strongly. He will suffer more in prison. If I would have killed him he would have gotten a too easy way out."

"Stephanie? Are you Stephanie Edgley?"

Valkyrie got so surprised that she put her feet on the brake. The force in the brake made her travel forward but the seatbelt stopped her from hitting her head in the steering wheel. She turned her head against the man that sat next to her and looked at him with widened eyes. "How do you know my name?!"

The man put up his hands in front of him in a calming gesture. "Calm down! I knew your uncle, Gordon. He was one of my few and best friends and we hung out a lot in my spare time. He has actually helped me solve many of my cases, since he was a perfect human to discuss things with. I would guess that you and him also discussed cases that you have had problems with? Am I right?"

"Inspector Me? Is it you that are inspector Me?!"

"In person. Nice to meet you. But as you probably already know that is not my real name." The man stretched out his hand. "Nice meeting you, Stephanie Edgley. My name is Skulduggery Pleasant."

Valkyrie shook his hand and could not help but smile. There was something with this man that made her unable not to put her lips into a smile. "Likewise, Skulduggery Pleasant. I would like to both from myself but also from my family thank you for everything you have done for us. If it had not been for you, we might never have found Nefarian Serpine and put him behind bars."

Skulduggery smiled and Valkyrie once again got that tingling in her whole body. What was it with this mister Pleasant that got her to become all weak-kneed? She did not understand her own feelings. She felt it as if her body and thoughts was riding a roller coaster without end. To try to get her thoughts on other things she said "If it's not too much to ask, I would like you to call me Valkyrie Cain. That's my detective name, but it is also the name I have start to present myself as to others except for my closest family, since I think it suits me better."

"If what I have heard from Gordon is true, I can't do anything else but agree with you."

Valkyrie smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then I of course wonder what my crazy uncle now has said about me."

"Strong-willed, intelligent, sarcastic, no patience with idiots... Does that remind you of someone?"

"If I did not know better I would just have thought that you described my uncle."

"Well, he always used to say that you two were more alike than you realized." Skulduggery looked at her and it seemed as if he was thinking. "I would even want to go so far as to say that you resemble him in many ways. The way you talk, how you move, even in the way you show emotions."

Valkyrie now lifted both of her eyebrows. "It sounds as if you have been watching me for some time, mister Pleasant. Do I need to feel worried?"

"Please, call me Skulduggery. No, I have not been watching you. I am simply very good at reading people and have always been." Skulduggery smiled again and got a glimpse in his eyes that Valkyrie could not read. "However, I would not have minded if anyone had asked me..."

A shiver of pleasure went along Valkyrie's back, down to her stomach and further down to her gender. The way Skulduggery said those words... Had she just been imagining or had they not had a sensual tone? Did Skulduggery flirt with her? Not that she would have anything against it, the other way around. He was very attractive and she suspected that many women he'd met under his career had yearned after him. He maybe even had had some affairs here and there after his wife and child so tragically had died.

"Oh, you say that? I thank you for the compliment, Skulduggery. Something tells me that if I would have had you as a watcher you would probably had seen both this and that." What was she doing?! Did she just flirt back? What was wrong with her? Fletcher was waiting for her at home and was probably worried by now. She should be dropping of this mister Pleasant downtown and then drive straight home!

Even though these thoughts sneaked upon her she could not stop. She wanted to flirt with Skulduggery since he awoke something inside her that she had not felt for a long time. How long had it been since the last time she and Fletcher had done something together? Lately they had started to drift apart from each other and Valkyrie thought she knew why. They had too many different interests, different working hours that did that they hardly saw each other under the days and on the weekends she often was so tired that she could not carry through any kind of activity that Fletcher suggested.

They had also started to argue a lot. Fletcher thought she should change work, or at least try to change her working hours. She worked a lot of nights, which meant that they basically just had time to say good morning and good night to each other since Fletcher worked as a teacher on a secondary school. He never worked later than 5 pm on the weekdays, unless he and the other teachers had an evening meeting.

Especially tough it had become after Gordon's death. She had threw herself into work with a new fervency and often worked over just to avoid thinking about that she never again would see her uncle alive. This often led to her coming home after Fletcher had gone to sleep and that she didn't get to say goodbye when he went to work in the morning since he didn't want to wake her. She'd been doing this because she knew that as soon as she got home and relaxed the tears would come out and she hated to show weakness in front of others. She had only cried in front of Fletcher once, and that had been at the funeral.

Better to be so tired when you come home that you fall asleep as soon as you put your head on the pillow instead of laying awake and think of things that has been and never again will happen.

A hand was laid under her chin and lifted up her face. When Valkyrie lifted her gaze she stared straight into Skulduggery's light blue eyes and what she saw in them got her to almost lose her breath again. They were so beautiful, so deep, so... right. She could stare into those eyes forever and lose herself in them.

"Valkyrie, do you hear me? You disappeared for some seconds. I started to worry that something had happened to you."

She shook her head to the extent that she could when Skulduggery held her chin. The feeling of his warm hand against her skin got her skin to tingle and she had to stop herself from stroking herself against his hand. Instead she swallowed and managed to sort out her breathing again. "I apologize if I scared you, Skulduggery. I... lost myself in my own thoughts for a while."

Skulduggery continued holding her chin. He looked at her for several seconds before he said anything. "Are you sure that everything is alright? You do not seem to feel so good. You have a sad glimpse in your eyes."

"Let me guess, Skulduggery. It is now that you will try to coax what's wrong so you then can say some comforting words to make me feel better, right? Believe me when I say that I have had enough people in my life that has tried doing that and failed. I am not a psycho or someone you can train your 'I-am-a-person-that-can-feel-people' tricks on." Valkyrie was surprised by the coldness in her voice, but got even more surprised when she noticed that Skulduggery did not seem to be bothered by her outburst. He just continued to look her in the eyes and did not release his grip on her.

What does he want?

After some more seconds of silence Skulduggery let go of her chin and leaned back against the passenger seat. He at the same time let go of her gaze and Valkyrie felt it as if she could breath normal again. She had not realized that she had been breathing irregular under the whole time that Skulduggery had held her. She felt it as if she had been spellbound and just woken up from the trance or as if she had been running a mini marathon. She put in a gear and once again drove up to the road for the second time this evening.

She looked at Skulduggery from the corner of her eyes and could see that he was looking out at the road ahead of them. By his body language to judge he was concerned, embarassed and... sad? Yes, he was also sad. "I... apologize for intruding."

"Oh... You have nothing to apologize for. It is I who should apologize for being so unfriendly. It was not like you were snooping around in my private life or something like that."

"Friends?" Skulduggery looked at her from the corner of his eyes with a minimal smile in the corner of his mouth.

Valkyrie let her left hand drop its grip around the steering wheel and stretched it out towards Skulduggery. "Friends."

He took her hand and in the same moment that their hands touched each other this time Valkyrie could both see and feel how the tingling that she had been feeling numerous times under the short time she had been in Skulduggery Pleasant's presence, also affected him. He flinched as if he had gotten a shock, but did not let go of her hand. A glimpse of surprise but also understanding was lit in his eyes and Valkyrie could not help but wonder what they could mean.

"It will be a pleasure to get to know you, Valkyrie Cain..."