For once in his life, Skulduggery Pleasant was glad he was dead. The reason for this was because he was going to teach Valkyrie to shoot a gun.

They were standing in the backyard of Gordon's house, facing a board with cans stacked on top of it that Skulduggery had set up for her to shoot at.

It was a hot summer day, so Valkyrie was wearing a black tank top with a short pair of black shorts while Skulduggery had removed his jacket and had his sleeves rolled up.

He had reluctantly handed her his gun and now she was carefully examining it.

"Come here Val," he said, beckoning her before she shot herself. She walked over to him.

"Now, the key to a good shot is how you position yourself and how you hold the gun. Here, I'll show you." He gently pulled her over to him, and then held her waist.

"O.K., you want your body squared with your target, but your legs at a position where you will be able to move quickly." He felt her hips move beneath his hands as she shifted around.

He also noticed how much she had grown over the years, filling out her feminine fatigue. He shook his head, mentally scolding himself.

After she positioned herself, she held the gun out and Skulduggery slid his hands over hers. He noticed how warm her body felt against his, how soft her hands were, and how good she smelled.

Valkyrie looked over her shoulder and blushed a furious red as she saw that their faces were only an inch apart. Skulduggery made a sound as though he was clearing his throat and looked away. Valkyrie bit her lip and turned back to the gun, her face still red. Skulduggery also turned his attention toward it.

"O.K., you want to keep your eye align with the barrel and aim for the middle of the can." He felt her move the gun around.

"Then, pull the trigger." He felt her pull the trigger and heard the satisfying bang of the gun followed quickly by the ping from the can being hit. Valkyrie smiled.

"Good," Skulduggery said, removing his arms, "Try it again." She hit the next can off the board.

"Good. Now that you've got that down," he slid his hands back over hers, "You can try a one-handed shot. Now, you want to keep your legs the same so you can move, but instead of positioning the gun in the center of your body, you align it with your dominant arm. In your case, your right. Then, drop your left arm and shoot." He dropped his arm along with her, then felt her intertwine her fingers with his just as she pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out as the can flew off the board. Skulduggery dropped his remaining hand as Valkyrie twirled around to face him, her fingers still intertwined with his. He could see the small blush start to creep across her cheeks.

"You're a pretty good shot Val," he said, trying to keep his suave up. She smiled.

"I learned from the best," she said, trying her best to look cute. It worked. She bit her lip and looked down as the blush started to creep more across her face.

"Skulduggery?" she asked quietly, keeping her gaze on the ground.

"Hmm?"

"Can you teach me how to kiss?" Skulduggery froze.

"What?!" he asked, seriously doubting what she said. She looked up at him, he whole face red.

"Can you teach me how to kiss," she said, her eyes glistening.

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" he asked smiling, already knowing where this was going.

"Show me," she said softly, stepping closer to him.

"You think that will work?" he asked softly, leaning in close to her, there faces only an inch apart.

"I think so. After all, you are a great teacher." Skulduggery chuckled softly.

"Yes, I believe I am," he said as he gently pressed his lips to hers. Her lips were soft and warm against his. He soon broke away, and smiled down at Valkyrie, who was recovering from what happened.

"How was that?" he asked softly. Valkyrie looked up at him and thought about it for a second.

"Nah," she said, smirking, "I think I need another lesson." Skulduggery smiled as he leaned down to kiss her again. He felt her let go of his hand and slip her arms around his neck. He slipped her arms around her waist, holding her close. Valkyrie gently broke away, and then pressed her forehead to his.

"You are quite the kisser," Valkyrie said gently, a smile playing on her lips. Skulduggery chuckled softly.

"You're not too bad yourself." Valkyrie laughed softly.

"Like I said before, I learn from the best," she said as she leaned up to kiss him again.