"Everything?" Erskine looked at her shocked. She had lied to save her friends from the truth and she had lied to save him from losing his friend.

"Everything Erskine. You. Me. Your office. You have no idea how sorry I' am that I did all that. Want to know the worst part though? Now no matter who I fall in love with now, I'm always going to think of you and you were my first even though it wasn't really me, it was me. But you know that." She said. His heart was pounding. She would always think of him. This made him smile although she had said "Worst part"

"Look Val, we did it, it's done but it doesn't have to change anything, I'm still me and you are you. Yeah ok I do love you or I have been starting to fall for you but nothing has to change and nobody needs to know. Especially Skulduggery."

"Especially Skulduggery what? Oh Valkyrie are you ok?" skulduggery said as he entered her room and saw Ravel sat beside Val looking like he was trying to comfort her. Especially Skulduggery, what are they hiding from me? He walked round and pulled his partner up from the floor and sat her on the bed.

"Can we talk alone please Erskine" Motioning for Erskine to leave so he could talk to Val alone. And although his heart dropped, he left his best friend with the woman he loved and the woman who would always think of him.

"Val, I know you don't remember anything from tonight and I want you to know its ok because we will handle this. Your friends know now and they are fine, a little bit scared but they still love you, even when you're covered in blood and dirt." She let out a little laugh as he said this because he was trying to cheer her up. It felt strange to her because she didn't even feel bad for killing those people, well she did but the thing she was feeling the worst about was Erskine. He loved her and wanted her and took her virginity. She was happy at the same time because she had finally done it and with someone she loved, not loved like she secretly loved Skulduggery but loved him like one of her best friends, which he was and he promised nothing had to change but she felt horrible because Skulduggery was in front of her trying to make her happy even though she felt she had cheated him of something. So she stayed silent.

"Before everything happened, I was telling you something Valkyrie and it's really important and I know it's not the best time but I have to finish what I was saying so here goes… Valkyrie Cain I have been in love with you for two years now and have only just plucked up the courage to tell you because I want to be with you." She just stared at him. His declaration of love was amazing and she felt her heart sore but what about Erskine? Screw him for now, you've got the love of your life telling you he loves you so SAY SOMETHING she thought.

"Took you long enough. I mean two years, really Skul? I love you so much and have been for quite some time now. What happened tonight is all blank, there is the party and then there is when I woke in that field with Sanguine wrapped around me. I only want to remember this moment of tonight, you sat here telling me you love me and me kissing you." She leaned over to him and kissed his bone white jaw. A shiver ran down his spine. As she pulled back, he pulled of his suit jacket and unbuttoned the top buttons and touched his façade tattoo and pale skin wrapped over his face and his head covered with blonde floppy hair. He leaned in and kissed her again, this time their lips touched and something switched in Valkyrie. She loved this man with all her heart and although the night she had been having was one of the worst in her life, she needed this, she wanted this, and she wanted him.

Valkyrie pushed skulduggery down onto her purple sheets and kissed him lovingly. Skulduggery took this as a signal but he wasn't sure it was the right choice for her… tonight at least. He rolled her onto her back and kissed her from above. He pulled back and looked at her, with want and need in her eyes but something else he couldn't identify.

"Valkyrie tonight might not be the best timing for this. I want you, don't get me wrong but you have had a traumatic evening and I don't want to make it worse, I mean you're a – you still have your – well you are still intact aren't you so?" She giggled from beneath him even though she knew she wasn't exactly intact thanks to his best friend and her evil alter ego but she didn't have the heart to tell him that she had done one of his best friends so she lied again to save him.

"Actually Skulduggery I'm not fully intact." She looked up at his shocked face and her heart sank but she knew if she told him the truth her heart wouldn't just sink it would disintegrate.

"When I was Fletcher, when I was 16 before all the Lord Vile stuff, I loved him or thought I loved him and we got carried away and it just sort of happened. It wasn't like I expected it or planned it but it happened and it's done and there's no going back now." She finished her lie and knew she would have to tell Fletcher something in case it ever came up. She looked deep into Skulduggery's green eyes and found nothing. He was giving away nothing. Untill he clambered off her and looked at her as she sat up.

"Why didn't you tell me? 16 Valkyrie, you were still a child and Fletcher was 18 or 19 or something. He took advantage of you" Skulduggery said flatly. He was ruining the moment and so feeling hurt after everything she had been through tonight, the killing of civilians, the losing her innocence and waking up near enough naked with a psychopath she burst into tears and ran out of her room, still in her dressing gown and ran straight into Tanith. Tanith saw her sister crying and took her into a hug and led her to her own room where they sat down on Tanith's red sheets.

"Val, what's the matter?" She asked concerned, as Valkyrie started to calm down.

"It's Skulduggery. He said he loved me, now he hates me and all because of one stupid thing that happened 5 years ago." She replied, she couldn't tell Tanith, she just couldn't, she didn't know why but it felt like there was something stopping her from telling her the truth.

"What happened sweetie? You can tell me." Tanith really wanted her friend to confide in her. The whole thing with Darquesse had shocked Tanith to her very core. Tanith already kind of knew about Darquesse but she had never expected that. She just needed to know that Valkyrie really was still Valkyrie.

"I need to talk to Fletcher first please Tanith, and then I promise I will tell you everything ok?" Tanith seemed a little hurt but simply agreed to her friend's request. She watched ass Valkyrie walked out of the door and down the stairs to find Fletcher. She went to find Skulduggery to beat him up for hurting her friend. Tanith found him sitting in his room by the window, still covered with his façade.

"What the hell Skul? Valkyrie has had a crap night already as have we all and then you talk to her for ten minutes and she's in floods of tears. Why the hell would you do that to her? She asked, fuming at him. Skulduggery looked at her and she only then saw a tear that had ran down his fake cheek.

"I was in shock. I didn't know what to say but I didn't want that, for her to run away from me crying." He said sadly. He just stared at a surprised Tanith. She didn't know what to say, so she walked over to him and hugged him.

Valkyrie walked out of Tanith's room and walked down the stairs until she saw Fletcher. He looked up at her as she motioned for him to follow her. He ran up the stairs and followed her as she walked right past her room, where Skulduggery was nowhere to be seen and right into Fletchers room. She sat on the bed and asked him to close the door and then come sit with her. He did as he was asked and wandered over to the pale girl sat on his bed. Why can't I make her happy, I did once so maybe I can again? She needs it after tonight.

"Fletch I want to ask you something and I need you to answer honestly ok?" he nodded as his reply.

"While we were going out, did you ever think or wonder about us, you know, doing it?" he had not expected this.

"Sure I did Val, I mean you were beautiful, not that you're not now but you were perfect back then as well. I never wanted to pressure you, not that I could but of course I wanted to. I wanted you to be my first and me to be yours." She was shocked, Fletcher was a virgin? She looked at the man she had once loved and this confused her even more. She loved Skulduggery, but had mounted his best friend and now Fletcher was sat in front of her. He was around her age, he was gorgeous and he had loved her since she was 14. Ok so he had, had a girlfriend since they broke up but she knew he had always loved her. Skulduggery went out of her mind for just a second and in that second she did something for the second time tonight that she thought she could give to Skulduggery only she was giving it to Fletcher and this time Darquesse was nowhere to be seen.