Chapter IV

Valkyrie stretched on her bed and smiled at the meditating Skulduggery. He was relaxing on a chair in her room in his house. Last night had been absolute heaven. She looked around for her dress. Skulduggery had personally, and delicately removed it from her. It had been excruciatingly pleasurable. She saw it hanging in the open closet. Moving quietly she started to reach for it when she got an idea. She grinned and grabbed one of Skulduggery's shirts. It was long on her and reached just past her bottom. She slipped onto Skul's lap.

"Skul? Wake up. Time to face another day." She kissed him lightly on his jaw.

He stirred and turned to face her. She smiled. He took her in and then tilted his head in confusion. "Isn't that my shirt."

"Hmm? Oh, yes it is. I didn't want to put on the dress and possibly spoil it. I also didn't have anything else to wear…" she kissed his jaw again. "Hope you don't mind, love."

"Mind? You are heretofore forbidden from wearing anything but that."

She laughed. She honestly hadn't felt this light in years. She could only imagine what Skulduggery was feeling. He told her last night that had been his first orgasm since he was flesh. His voice had held awe.

"What would Ghastly say about that? All that work he's put into my clothes…"

Skulduggery chuckled.

She squirmed on his lap in excitement. He grunted slightly. Even if he didn't have the flesh, the ghost sensations were still there. She smirked and spoke. "Tanith is going to squeal like a school girl when she finds out."

Skulduggery started laughing. He held Valkyrie close. She curled up on his lap. He could feel the smoothness of her bare skin on him. He felt himself shudder. Later. Love later. Talk now.

"I'm going to have to speak with Gordon."

Valkyrie stilled and then chuckled. "He'll love that. He's always loved that fact that you treat him like a human. A real human."

"If I didn't, I would be denying my own humanity."

She looked at him. "You are a human Skul. Never doubt that. Never."

He chuckled. "I'm not doubting that now. You make me feel alive in ways I didn't know I came back with."

She laughed. "I guess I've inherited your ability to do things that have never been done before."

He tilted his head in a smile. She laughed lightly and kissed him repeatedly. "I've always wanted to do this. I've always wanted to know how it felt to be held by you."

He tightened his hold. "Valkyrie, you need to understand that I'm relatively rusty at romance-"

She scoffed. "You were doing alright last night, buddy."

He chuckled. "I'm talking about the rules of romance."

"Ah."

He cleared his throat. "I'm very serious about my love. By serious, I mean, I am not interested in just living with you. I want you to…to be my wife."

She stared at him. He held his nonexistent breath. She squealed and hugged him.

"Skulduggery! Yes! I want to be you fiancé. I want to be your wife. I want to be your partner in more than just crime."

He felt like the world had been lifted from him. He scooped her up and twirled her around the room. He allowed the laughter to bubble up. He had never felt so free. The burden of his memories, the guilt of his crimes, the grief of the deaths he has seen all were eating away, chaining him to the wall of his agony one link at a time. Then along came Valkyrie Cain. She unlocked him from those chains and taught him how to be human again.

"I will love you to the end." He kissed her as best as he could. She didn't mind in the least.

Gordon's House

Skulduggery pulled at his tie as they walked up to the house. Valkyrie laughed. "Honestly, why are you so afraid? He trusts you more than anyone else!"

Skulduggery nodded. "I know that. I'm just…I don't like being vulnerable."

She nodded in understanding. "I completely agree. I don't like being vulnerable either, but we've got to learn to do that with each other."

He tilted his head in a smile. "Miss Cain, I do believe I love you."

She laughed as she opened the front door. "Mr. Pleasant, I love you more than life itself." She was smiling lightly, but her eyes betrayed her seriousness. She would never survive if he were to leave her. If his soul was somehow destroyed, she would reap vengeance and then end her life. He knew that she was thinking this, so, pulling her close to him, he hugged her from behind.

"I have survived 400 years, Miss Cain. I will survive 400 more."

She smiled. Her eyes were slightly misty. "After all, Mr. Pleasant, you are too clever to die."

He kissed her. "And you, are too pretty."

They continued up the stairs until they reached the study. She opened the secret room and they entered.

Gordon had the recorder turn off. "Well now! Both of you come to call? Is there another end of the world?"

Val laughed. "No, the beginning of one."

Skulduggery shook his head. "Cheesy. Very Cheesy."

She punched him. "Oh shut up."

He chuckled and slipped an arm around her waist. Gordon saw this and smiled. "Ah…well, you have my blessing." He adopted a stern pose. "Treat her well, Skulduggery Pleasant! You will have me to face!" He smiled. "I think you two are a very adorable pair." He nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes, very adorable." He honestly didn't care about the age gap, or the little issue of him being a skeleton. Skulduggery Pleasant was the best thing that happened to Valkyrie, and Valkyrie was the best thing that happened to Skulduggery. They needed each other.

Skulduggery laughed. Valkyrie blushed.