A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, China or Skulduggery. I know, I'm usually picking on her because she seems like the kind of person who'd push her own grandmother down the stairs and laugh hysterically over it, but even I can be nice to China, for once. This is set after the novels so Val is in her 20s at least. "Fine China" is a song by Chris Brown and would be how China feels towards Valkyrie as a friend.
China Sorrows looked at her young friend and felt her own delicate heart break. Which was unusual regarding another woman, but this woman was her friend, her only female friend and now she was in tears and it was all China's fault.
After all these years to see Valkyrie once more under such sad conditions made China live up to the Sorrows part of her name. Not that she regretted killing Skulduggery's family, people did horrible things in war and China Sorrows was not one given to regret. But that she'd hurt the one decent human being she'd ever known made her wish the past had never happened.
"Tell me, my dear, why did you stand up for me? Skulduggery is your friend and surely you must have wanted me to die for what I did?"
"I stood up for you then the same reason as now, China. There's been enough killing. If we all got to kill out of revenge where would it end? Besides, you were my friend, you still are." She shrugged and sipped her tea and China felt her shoulders relax slightly.
She'd always worried that secretly Valkyrie had been planning her downfall, or that now that Valkyrie wedding to Skulduggery was off she'd seek revenge, but the young woman hadn't. Instead she'd come to her only female friend for comfort.
And although China was in general terrible at comforting people she was trying her best. "What actually was said, my dear?" She asked, and Valkyrie gazed at her mournfully. China winced, an unlovely expression she usually avoided, but she could tell Valkyrie thought she was toying with her, enjoying her pain.
"Well, China, Let's see. My defending you and coming to see you last week came up. I said to Skulduggery that we've all killed somebody's family member, but he said an entire family, a wife and child were different. Then he said because of you he'd never have his wife again and maybe that was why I liked you, because you'd got rid of any competition." Valkyrie's voice was angry, hurt.
China sat back, stunned. "My dear, I have no words. I truly am sorry to have caused you this pain. I always thought you two would be together. That is so unlike him, to be that cruel." Again she regretted her words because she'd always implied a relationship with Skulduggery and now her young friend's face twisted in agony at the reminder.
Valkyrie stood up abruptly. "Well, he's all yours, China. You win. I hope you're happy." She managed bitterly, then turned and left. But China wasn't happy. She regretted now mercilessly tormenting Valkyrie because she was so pretty and much younger all those years ago.
Now her friend, her only friend, had decided she was the enemy and that China wanted a man she'd never been interested in in the first place. But that was China's one weakness, wasn't it? The need to be cruel to other women, even friends so she could feel better about herself.
There would never be any convincing Valkyrie that the implied liaisons with Skulduggery had never happened, never a way to admit he's only shown up when he had for information. She felt regret now and that was a rare thing.
She wanted to do something. To make some calls to act somehow, but it was too late for all that. Skulduggery had, unwittingly, revealed the woman he truly loved, and all of China's magical allure couldn't heal the broken heart her young friend suffered.
China realized Valkyrie hadn't gotten that far since she hadn't heard her drive off and her blood ran cold. What if? She was out from behind her desk and running, running to save her young friend. Yanking open the car door, dragging Valkyrie out, only to have the very much alive young woman huddle into her in utter misery, and China hugged Valkyrie to her and sobbed in relief.
So she walked her back inside and talked to her, for hours. Told her the truth about why she was always so petty, about how Valkyrie's youth and beauty had been a threat. How she, China Sorrows, always had to be number one, even if it meant hurting those she cared about most.
And she did care, about both her friends and she was devastated for Valkyrie. She admitted there had been no relationship, never had been, that frankly, she thought that Skulduggery's first wife was a bitch and she'd have killed the woman for no good reason eventually.
Valkyrie had laughed for the first time at that. "Wow, I've never heard you swear before, I didn't think you could. He deserves her then, let her have him." She said and both women had laughed.
The women talked until dawn, when both took to their respective beds, China happy any chance of Valkyrie doing something rash to herself was gone. But of course now a new desire burned in her heart.
The desire to either make things right between the two lovers or to make Skulduggery Pleasant regret that he'd ever hurt a friend of China Sorrows.
Oh, I still plan to torment Miss Sorrows in the future, but every so often I do feel a tad regretful at putting my claws out. I still don't like her as a character, but even she could be nice, I guess.