Slow Motion
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the books Skulduggery Pleasant, the amazing Derek Landy does. Fletcher may be Flaring, Shakra and my bitch but I still don't own him. I only own the plot.
A/N: This is a Fletcherie fanfic (Fletcher/Valkyrie) with hints of Valduggery (Valkyrie/Skulduggery) and Ghastith (Ghastly/Tanith). Skulduggery never was trapped in the portal but all other events occurred from the last book. This isn't a nonsense story but it will be humorous in places, so it isn't totally serious. The prologue is somewhat gruesome so beware but enjoy!
Summary Recap: When things change, people change. Valkyrie and Skulduggery see this happening on a daily basis but they really didn't expect to see a certain blonde, hair obsessed, annoying boy change Fletcherie, Valduggery and Ghastith. R&R! Rated T for paranoia.
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Prologue
"Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise."
-Julia Cameron
The early morning breeze ran through the streets of Dublin, just as the rain had a few hours previous. There were puddles on the pavements and the grass glistened under the dull, cloudy sky.
As soon as Valkyrie Cain's foot fell into one of these puddles, she cursed loudly-very loudly. Her voice echoed around the empty street her and her companion were travelling through.
The water ran into the old boots she was wearing, having misplaced the ones Ghastly Bespoke had made for her. "Skulduggery…" she whined, jogging to catch up with the well-disguised Skeleton in the pinstriped suit who had strutted ahead without her.
"Yes, Valkyrie?" he asked innocently, amusement apparent in his voice. Of course, he had seen her. She pulled her coat around herself tighter, glaring at him.
She sulked quietly for a few moments before speaking again, "This is your fault, dragging me out my warm bed at 4 am on a Saturday morning! On my day off and all! You know what, I think it was you who hid my boots, just so you could make my feet cold." she hissed at him, frowning.
"Oh yes, the best detective around hid your boots just to make your feet cold." he chuckled to himself. "And as detectives we have no days off. You should know that by now. We have to get this case investigated before someone else does. Also, my dear Valkyrie?"
"What?" she grumbled in response, pouting absentmindedly. What he said was right of course, she was just grumpy.
"Your boots are at Gordon's house. You left them there last week. Now shush child, we're here." Skulduggery spoke quickly and quietly as he paused in front of a normal, four roomed terrace house. He pushed open the creaky gate and walked up the path to where the door was. It hung half-off its hinges.
"I'm 15 years old, I'm not a child. " Valkyrie murmured and quickly followed him, glancing up at the top of the house. The curtains were pulled, spots of green mould grew on the stone of the walls and the slates on the roof looked ready to drop.
As soon as she hopped smoothly over the broken down door, Val was startled at the sight of the house. She glanced around at the wreckage, taking in the smashed furniture and ornaments.
She stepped into the living room, the scent of dried blood hitting her full on. She had been trained to not look at the body and slip through a room silently but Val couldn't help herself. She allowed herself one glance at the dead corpse and she couldn't help but gasp.
A blonde, middle-aged woman in her nightgown was kneeling by a glass coffee table, her head smashed against the surface. Her head lay in a pool of her own blood and there was a short dagger dug into the small of her back, just like the teleporter, Cameron Light.
The woman looked as if she had just fallen forward from sitting on the sofa and the television was even on, flickering through an advert about laptops and Barbie. Val had no clue of the connection between the two, but she wasn't here to investigate adverts.
"This crime has been committed in a very messy manner but it has definitely been committed by a sorcerer. They didn't do a very good job of cleaning up after themselves; apparently their mothers didn't teach them manners well enough." Skulduggery said from the corner of the room, observing the crime scene.
Valkyrie nodded, tearing her eyes away from the dead woman so she could look at her mentor. "She was only a mortal though. Why are the Headquarters outraged over her? I mean, what did she have to do with our world?" She asked, mentally cursing herself for sounding so inhumane.
"Good question. Apparently, the woman was related to someone important but my source hasn't been able to find out whom." The Skeleton replied, pacing around the room as he examined things here and there.
"Are you ever going to tell me who your source is?" The teenage girl asked, grinning suddenly. He turned his skull towards her, raising a hand to tap his nose bone.
"A magician never reveals his secrets." he said simply and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. It was so…Skulduggery. He was always being aloof and mysterious, although Val was pretty certain those two words meant the same thing.
A pregnant silence settled in the eerie room, the two alive beings moving silently around the room, dodging each other and the corpse.
"Valkyrie, would you come over here for a moment?" Skulduggery asked, in a deadly serious voice. The girl herself set down a rack of dusty CDS and sauntered over to where the Skeleton stood, holding a silver photo frame in one of his gloved hands.
"You better not be asking me to pull your finger again." She commented, coming to stand beside him. She peered at him when he did answer her.
"Look." he spoke after a while, his voice devoid of emotion as he held out the picture frame towards her. Val took it and studied it for a moment or two, her brain taking a while to catch up with her.
"Oh my Tré…" She gasped as she saw the two people in the picture. It was of the woman and a boy, a teenage boy. A teenage boy she certainly recognised. "This is of-" she trailed off, to gaze up at Skulduggery. They answered at the same time,
"Fletcher."
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And there we go! A mini-cliff hanger there for you! Excitement ;)
I'll write chapter one faster if you review, even if you don't like it! XD Cookies anyone? *Shifty eyes*
-Druna Malgood.