"Sherman?!" Berty yelled and took a step back "Y-y-you're a skeleton" Berty fainted and Valkyrie hauled him into the Bentley.
"He left a year after you did and was never seen again" Skulduggery said as they drove back.
Berty woke up and Valkyrie bent over him.
"Berty?"
"Is Sherman really a skeleton?" Valkyrie nodded and told him everything she knew about life after Skulduggery's death.
"Next question, what the hell are you doing here looking like you haven't aged a day?"
"I was about to ask you the same question"
"Well, I saw Jo make that big blue thing and I made her make one for me. I didn't hurt her or anything but I persuaded her I wasn't here for evil. I don't think she believed me but she opened it anyway and here I am. I heard about a dark haired orphan who'd recently been time travelling and stole files on the name Valkyrie Cain. Then you show up!"
"I'm actually from this time and my name is Valkyrie Cain. I got knocked into a time portal by grown-up Jo and young Jo had to help me get home. I heard someone stole files on us and we had to go figure out who wanted information and why. Then I see you!"
They smiled at each other and Berty sat up.
"Sh- Sherman?"
"Hi Berty. I'm Skulduggery now"
"That's a bit of a mouthful"
"I call him Skul" Valkyrie said.
"Unless I've annoyed her. Then I'm Skulduggery or just 'Pleasant'" Skulduggery chuckled.
"So you guys are pretty close?"
"Best friends for 10 years next week" Valkyrie nodded.
Berty sat back and looked out of the window.
"I bet it's weird suddenly jumping into the future"
"I bet it was weird jumping into the past"
"Yeah. In science when you guys were talking about bad air and I knew about germs"
"Germs?"
"They're like tiny things that breed in dirty places and make you ill"
"No way!"
"Yes way! Wait until you see the TV"
Valkyrie spent the rest of the day showing Berty the sights of the 21st century. He was amazed at the slightest thing and his eyes nearly fell out when he saw how some people were dressed.
"You should've seen my Halloween outfit! I think we've got a video of it somewhere"
"Next year you're going as a nun" Skulduggery said.
"Grumpy" she whispered and Berty chuckled.
That night Valkyrie was back in Berty's arms.
"It's been a year you know"
"For me it's been a few hours. For Skulduggery it's been a few hundred years."
"Does he know about us?"
There's an us?, Valkyrie thought
"No. I didn't see any reason to tell him"
"Ok" Berty thought quietly for a minute and looked like he was having a fight with himself. Before he could change his mind, Berty leant forward and kissed Valkyrie. She kissed him back and they fell asleep. The next morning Valkyrie woke up to a strange sound coming from downstairs. She shook Berty awake and put a finger to her lips.
"Hey Val! Long-time no see!" a Texan drawl echoed up the stairs.
"Damn it" Valkyrie cursed and left the room. Berty went to follow after her but she put a finger on her lips again and pushed him into a large cupboard. There was a sound of a scuffle outside and Valkyrie ended up tying up Sanguine and shoving him in the wardrobe. She let Berty out and they got ready for work. Skulduggery knocked on the door and Valkyrie dragged Sanguine down the stairs, making sure he hit his head on each step.
"Hey now! No need for that, is there?"
"You're in my house"
"I see your point…" Valkyrie shook her head and threw him in the Bentley.
"Who's that guy?"
"Skulduggery's brother"
"Funny-bones has a brother? And there's me thinking he comes from a family of skeletons"
"Shut up and let me drive" Skulduggery mumbled from the front seat.
"Hey you!" Three heads looked round at Sanguine "The pretty one" he continued. Berty and Skulduggery faced the front again.
"What do you want?"
"Come sit next to me for a mo." He gestured to the seat next to him which was quite difficult considering he was in handcuffs. Valkyrie looked at him, curiously and climbed from the front seat to next to Sanguine.
"I'm always on the lookout for new clients" he drawled in her ear.
"And?"
"Don't hesitate" And Sanguine slipped Valkyrie a small card with a number on it. Usually she'd tear it up in his face but for some reason she had a horrible feeling this might come in hady. She nodded and crawled back into the front seat.
"What did he want?"
Skulduggery seemed curious and Valkyrie had a feeling he wouldn't act well if he knew the truth. She could practically feel Sanguine squirming in the back seat.
"Nothing. He's just being dumb"
. Sanguine shuffled awkwardly and didn't say anything for the rest of the journey. At the Sanctuary, Skulduggery stormed past dragging Sanguine to a cell.
"What's up with him?" Ravel asked.
"He thinks I'm keeping things from him"
Ravel shook his head and carried on his way.
After a few minutes of standing around, Valkyrie and Berty went back to the Bentley to wait for Skulduggery. They sat there in silence for a few moments before Berty snaked his arm around her waist.
"When are we going to tell him about us?"
"When we find the right moment" Valkyrie promised and they sat there kissing until they saw Skulduggery walking back to the Bentley. Valkyrie started to pull away but Berty caught her.
"Let him see" he laughed and they carried on kissing.
"I see you guys are getting well acquainted" Skulduggery said as he slid into the front seat "How long's this been going on for?"
"A couple of hundred years"
"Right under your non-existent nose" Valkyrie laughed.
Skulduggery shook his head but drove off.
"At least it's not one of those stupid teens you were with on Halloween" Skulduggery mumbled.
"They weren't all teens" Valkyrie said, remembering Vex.
At Gordon's, the gang decided to watch a movie. Luna (a girl who could walk through walls and had her head in the clouds most of the time), Fletcher and his girlfriend Myra had shown up too and they were arguing about what movie to watch. Valkyrie was desperate to watch a horror movie but Tanith wanted an action movie and Luna was begging for something romantic. The argument was getting quite loud and people had to shout to make themselves heard.
"It's Bambi's movies" Berty shouted. They looked at him. Who the hell was Bambi?
"Thank you" Valkyrie said and picked out a horror movie.
"Bambi?" Fletcher said.
"Pet name" Skulduggery said and Valkyrie put the movie on and sat on Berty's lap. They spent most of the movie kissing. Fletcher was eager to show everyone that Myra and he had that kind of relationship but Myra seemed disgusted when Fletcher put his arm around her to pull her closer.
"I'm watching the movie" she whispered. Fletcher crossed his arms and tried to pay attention to the vampires on screen but out of the corner of his eye he kept catching sight of Valkyrie. At the end, Tanith turned on the lights and Valkyrie and Berty broke apart.
"That was a good movie" Valkyrie said weakly as she noticed everyone staring. Tanith rolled her eyes and Valkyrie had a feeling Skulduggery would be doing the same if he had eyes.
"We're going now" Fletcher announced.
"Don't I get a hug?" Valkyrie seemed offended.
"A hug?"
"You're like my little brother and you're off to the other side of the world! Don't I get a hug goodbye?"
Fletcher hugged her and she whispered in his ear "Good luck with Myra"
Fletcher raised an eyebrow. How had she known Myra was getting so distant? He took Myra's hand and waved before teleporting with a soft whoosh
"Can you show me where the kitchen is?" Berty asked "I live here but I don't even know where it is"
Valkyrie took his hand and showed him around. She introduced him to Gordon who looked at him, warily but relaxed when he heard he was Skulduggery's brother. They ended up back in the living room where the others were still sat in silence.
"You guys are allowed to talk you know"
They shuffled around and said a few hellos but no real conversation started so Valkyrie suggested they go down to the beach. Tanith grabbed Valkyries hand and pulled her away to find some swimming costumes. She settled on a black strapless swimming costume with a very low back and her hair in that classic plaited style. Tanith's bikini was bright red and she left her hair down. Tanith wore a loose dress over her swimming costume and Valkyrie put on a small pair of shorts so it looked like she was wearing a very tight top. Berty smiled when he saw her and played with one of the loose bits of hair by Valkyrie's ear.
"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen" he whispered.
"Me?"
"No. The blonde one over there" he said sarcastically, gesturing to the rough direction Tanith was seen last "Of course I mean you Bambi"
"That's so cute!" said a voice from behind them. Valkyrie turned around and Skulduggery coughed awkwardly and shuffled off. Valkyrie and Berty burst out laughing and made their way to the sand.
Berty was an elemental and so they ended up having a huge water fight. Tanith got completely soaked from not being able to control water. Ghastly, Valkyrie and Berty launched a huge wave at Skulduggery who was sitting on the sand in his suit. He roared as he was submerged and dragged out to sea. He splashed around before pulling himself above the waves and walked on water back to them. Valkyrie displaced the air around his feet and he face-planted into the sea. She high fived Berty and they watched as Skulduggery threw a wave at Valkyrie who ducked under and pulled Berty with her. They grinned at each other under the water. They bobbed back up; gasping for breath and Valkyrie saw Skulduggery sat on the sand again. She displaced the air so she could make a pit underneath him. He yelped and fell in before Valkyrie used air to smooth the sand over. Ghastly roared with laughter as a glove-covered hand stuck out of the sand. It made a rude hand gesture towards the general direction of the laughter and Skulduggery climbed out, brushing himself off.
"What if I hadn't been able to get out?" he asked to try and stop Valkyrie laughing at him.
"Then a dog probably would've dug you up" For some reason this made Valkyrie laugh harder. Skulduggery threw her over his shoulder and they made their way back to Gordon's as the sun was setting. They staggered through the door and went their separate ways for the night.