Hay guys! So, I'm gonna start rewriting this story - chapter by chapter. I'm definitely not changing the story, only updating it a bit more. xx Enjoy

Chapter 1 - Turn of events

Concentrating on his words became increasingly difficult - Skulduggery Pleasant not only had the vocabulary of a true polyglot but an accompanying voice just as mesmerizing. He had the demandingly powerful voice of a leader as well as the comfortably soothing voice of a friend. He had such an inexplicably euphonious voice that Valkyrie Cain struggled to coherently detangle each word from his melodic invisible mouth.

"My god, Valkyrie, have you heard anything I've just said?" Skulduggery asked tilting his head to the right, playfully - suggesting that his annoyance wasn't too serious.

"The conglomerate of words that should've formed a scheme worthy of the highest praise which would ultimately fail leaving us in a situation where we would have to improvise, meaning that my inattentive disposition was not entirely uncalled for and your intricate soliloquy may have been an utter waste of time?" While her eyes were on the ground, she smirked. "Yeah, I heard."

Skulduggery harrumphed as he stalked passed her from the room to find either one of the Elder Mages. He was her companion and comrade - she has fought alongside him for about 20 years now. Very rarely did she find herself recalling the night she decided to stay at her deceased uncle's house. Gordon Edgley had left her his estate, along with a gigantic fortune. She remembered the glass as it broke, the door bursting open, the flash of white she saw and then, as she often did, she wondered what her life would have been like right now if the car hadn't needed maintenance that day.

At a very mature 33 years of age, she didn't look older than a 20-year-old young lady. She had grown stronger - physically and magically. Her muscles were strong and bulged in all the right places. She had, of course to Skulduggery's delight, chosen the less practiced Elemental magic - the manipulation of fire, water, air and earth. Although, she still had much to learn her powers were more evolved and lethal than anticipated for an Elemental novice. Skulduggery, as her Elemental mentor, trained her and taught her to push beyond her physical limitations. She was often exerted to a point were walking like a normal person felt impossible. Her Necromancy is stored within the crevices of a memory and, although, she may reminisce in the power thereof, she gave up practicing it.

Since defeating Argeddion, Valkyrie decided that the time had come for Stephanie Edgley to die. The sheer power she had and destruction she had caused as Darquesse was too dangerous to risk being unleashed near her family. For a brief time, her reflection had taken over her life; however, this soon also became problematic. Her reflection had evolved into something that could understand and feel human feelings. To it, Valkyrie was no longer its master, but an intruder in its life that had to be removed. In a rather horrific fashion her reflection acquired the Sceptre and, by using the little magic Crystal had within her to power it, planned to kill Valkyrie using it. Luckily, they managed to subdue the reflection and remove the Sceptre from its possession. They gave it a choice, leave Valkyrie in peace and continue with her life as Stephanie Edgley or be permanently terminated. Were it not for the unashamed hatred in its eyes, Stephanie might still be alive. Taking advantage of unfortunate circumstances, they disposed of the reflection in Valkyrie's room - her room before she realized that she could never walk away from her darker side. There was no part for magic in the life of Melissa and Desmond Edgley and leaving them was the hardest selfless act she had ever done. In a stunning display of gore, her old room was converted in a Quentin Tarantino quality horror scene. Blood covered the floor, parts of the wall and curtains. The reflection was lain on her bed with its face drooping over the bed and its back had slashes into it. Valkyrie had to listen to her parents cry in anguish as she said her goodbyes to a sleeping Alice still unaware of Stephanie's death. She had climbed from her sister's window, not daring to look back. With time, it became easier…

However, more recently something annoyingly unavoidable had started to take up space in her head - something she dreaded to admit, something Divina Marr had once accused her of. Her concentration wavered and she had bouts of little nervous episodes, her stomach fluttered and her hands were clammy at times. Valkyrie Cain never squirmed to take on a daring and dangerous adventure, she was headstrong and brave - but, goddamn, it was hard being in love with Skulduggery. It was a secret that was starting to become increasingly hard to keep.

Distracted, Valkyrie failed to notice that Skulduggery had stopped and walked straight into him. "For god's sake, Valkyrie! Did you even hear anything I just said?" Skulduggery sounded a bit more annoyed. "You'll always remain impressively dull if you can't even concentrate for the duration of a short walk."

Damn. "You are very impressed with yourself?" She raised an eyebrow.

"When you're as old as I am and still pull of a striped suit in equal elegance, then I will be slightly less impressed with myself." He cocked his head. "Until then, at least try to convince that excuse for a brain to concentrate on the case."

Forcing herself to focus and pushing her most well-kept secret from her mind - like so many times before - she gestured for him to continue. Her feelings were not of dire importance now, but she knew eventually she'd have to confront this uncomfortably knowing stirrings for him.

"We're going to see a witch - she might be our biggest clue. From then on, well, my brilliant mind will guide us. Have you ever met a witch, Valkyrie? Very unpredictable beings. I'm quite certain that witches were created as a curse for being able to practice multiple forms of magic." Skulduggery turned his head slightly in her direction looking over his shoulder at her.

"You want me to ask what you think their curse is, right?"

"Want. Need. Minor details." He shrugged one shoulder.

"You can be so exceptionally needy sometimes." She feigned disappointment in him, but it excited her to know that she was able to fulfil his childishly needy nature. "Very well, Skulduggery, what do you suspect their curse could be?"

"Bipolarity."

She waited to see if he'd finish his sentence half expecting him to burst out laughing and tell her it was a joke. Instead he just stood there, dead serious.

"I'm sorry, what? You're serious, aren't you?" She raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that I actually did meet a witch, two in fact. Only one seemed unhinged. The other one was completely… Oh, wait, you actually might have a point there."

"God, you really are too easy to fool," he said with a much too amused chuckle. "I'm kidding - but I do believe that all that power might be making them a bit wacked in the head."

She tried punching him, but he caught her wrist and stepped closer to her pulling her arm past his waist. She couldn't feel any warm air from his breath - coldness surrounded him. Her heart started beating and, for a moment, she wondered how he would've kissed her if he could.

"Valkyrie, I really need you to be utterly focused on this case. Inattentive behavior could cost us greatly, this isn't child's play - it's dangerous. Increasingly over the last few weeks you've been much too distracted. What seems to be the matter, dear?"

She tried to pull her wrist free, but his grip only tightened. It was, undoubtedly, true. She had been immensely distracted and unfocused - even now, as he held her close to him, the lines between Skulduggery as her partner and Skulduggery as someone she was in love with blurred. All she heard was his soft, velvety voice taking up every space in her mind.

"This is a very unprofessional position, Skulduggery. You might want to let me go before a mage rounds that corner there." She was smiling, but she was desperate too.

"Ah, yes well, that would seem to be the more appropriate thing to do, but I'm not known for my lack of worry for nothing. Now, tell me. What bothers you?" His voice softened with the last sentence and she felt her heart warm at his knowledge of and compassion towards her.

"Nothing that can't wait until a more suitable time." He sighed and let her go. "I promise, I will tell you. Just not now, ok? It's a… personal matter." She put her hands in her pockets, not needing any more physical interaction.

He nodded and continued on through the Sanctuary. The gleaming Bentley greeted them as they walked into the Roarhaven air. It shined even in the musty daylight. She loved that car just as much as Skulduggery loved it. They got in.

"Seat belt," he said curtly.

"Are you really this petty?" She threw her head against the head rest looking up.

"You are my partner. When you keep something from me, I wonder. When you don't talk, I worry. Valkyrie," he said turning his whole body towards her, "you are a dear and respected friend and I detest the fact that you keep secrets."

"Don't. I'm fine." She looked at him. "I promised, right? Have I ever broken a promise?" Too long has she contemplated her feelings, it was kinda time.

He turned facing the road again. As if he had giving up on making her talk. Then suddenly he looked at her again.

"This isn't about some silly boy with wild hair or a stupid grin?"

She laughed nervously. "Whaaaaaat?". He was dangerously close but just shy of the real catch! "I can, with all honesty, tell you that it is not about any boy." The remains of her laughter fading. It's about a man, she thought.

"But?" He cocked his head and seemed as if he was reading the features of her face.

"But? Butts are nice, yes." I'm in love, she thought.

"You do realize that you are wasting precious time that we should be using on our case by refusing to tell me. Also, may I remind you that you promised to tell me 'later' and it is now 'later'." His chest puffed out slightly and he would have smirked if he could.

"I'd rather you didn't know just yet. Too many things would be changed." She refused to look at him, she just stared out of the windscreen.

"Valkyrie…" He was pleading now, sounding worried.

She looked at him, then out the window again and sighed. "I'm in love…", she whispered.

"Well, that's just absolutely wonderful, my dear. And not at all embarrassing."

"With you", she whispered as he turned the key in the ignition.

He was frozen. His one hand on the steering wheel and the other still on the key in the ignition hole. She still refused to look at him, but also had closed her eyes. There! It was done…

"Well now," he said, "that certainly was a stunning turn of events."