A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, Skulduggery, Tipstaff or Erskine.
"Skulduggery, is something the matter?" I asked trying to keep the growl out of my voice as we pulled up to the Sanctuary. "Is it the case?"
His head jerked in my direction. "What makes you think there is a case?" He asked and my confusion deepened. He was acting odd, I wasn't even sure if he knew why he'd driven us to the Sanctuary as we got out.
"Are you all right?" I asked more gently as he stood beside the Bentley.
"Hmm? Yes, just thinking." Skulduggery tilted his head in a smile and his voice was curious. "Has anyone ever told you how pretty you look in the moonlight?" He asked.
"Shall we go in?" I asked, laughing nervously as I avoided his question. Skulduggery didn't ask questions to be mean or lead me on, but he knew how I felt for him. He had to if he kept teasing me, or maybe he didn't. "Well, are we going in?" I asked when he kept staring.
"Whatever for?" I felt my heart ice over. This reminded me of when he'd come back and he hadn't come back normal. "I'm quite content to stand here all night. Moonlight, my Bentley. A pretty girl."
"Hall of Magical Cabinets?" I tried, hopefully. Skulduggery looked at me with his head tilted curiously while stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets. "You said you wanted to check something." I added.
"And I have, but we might as well visit Erskine while we are here." Skulduggery said then started walking. I hurried to keep up, wondering what was going on. Did he really not remember why'd we'd come? Did he suddenly have an ability to "just know things" like Saracen? I was seriously worried about my partner and best friend.
Erskine had us shown into his office, shooing a hovering Tipstaff out to get us coffee. "And what brings you two here this fine evening?" He asked and we both looked at Skulduggery who shrugged.
Erskine instantly looked worried. Skulduggery couldn't be controlled by any magic that we knew of, and he did more than his share of strange things, but he never did anything without some reason. "Are you all right?" Erskine asked carefully.
"I'm fine, I wanted to test out a theory tonight and I did." I exchanged confused looks with Erskine, but he caught on faster than I did.
"And?" He asked.
"And." Skulduggery agreed then he looked at me.
"Coffee?"
"I have coffee right in front of me." I pointed out.
"Oh, Valkyrie, when will you ever learn? No one actually drinks Sanctuary coffee, well, except for Erskine, but he always did have rubbish tastes."
"Hey!" Erskine laughed. "OK, then, you two scat. I've got foxy secretaries to interview." He said cheerfully. I gagged in response and his laughter followed us out the door.
Skulduggery really had wanted to take me out for coffee, and as we settled into a booth in a small diner my puzzlement had deepened. He lied like a rug all the time but he didn't like to spend time together unless it was related to a case. "So, there really is no case?" I tried again after the waitress refilled my mug.
"Not really. But if it would make you feel better I could shoot someone and then we'd have a case." He said brightly, and I couldn't help it, it made me laugh. He was back to being silly, everything was going to be OK.
Oh, Val, honey, don't ever say that in one of my stories, you should know better by now.