Chapter VIII
July 21st, 5:00 PM – Gordon's house
Valkyrie was running around the house like her head was chopped off. Skulduggery was trying to tie his tie. For some reason the cursed thing wasn't working. He ripped it off and set it on fire. He did it right beside the window so the fire alarm wouldn't go off. Valkyrie walked in and saw him burning his tie.
"What'd the tie do to you?"
"Attempted to assassinate me by strangulation."
"Ah. Come here." She grabbed another tie and started tying it around his collar. She did it perfectly. He cocked his head in the equivalent of raising an eyebrow.
She chuckled. "Mom used to do this for Dad all the time. I started helping when she was too busy getting ready herself." Valkyrie's eyes became distant. She looked down at her hands. Skulduggery quickly pulled her to him.
"Shh…remember the good times. Don't dwell on something you can't change. They wouldn't want you to."
She shook her head. "I wish I had come home sooner. I wish I had been there to stop those bastards."
Skulduggery held her tightly, just like he did when she called him from her parents house two years ago. Seven year old Alice was over at a friends house when the men came looking for revenge on what they deemed Darquesse's family. Valkyrie came home to find her parents dead, murdered. Skulduggery helped her hunt them down.
"It's over. Their dead. You found closure. It's done. Don't looked back on it."
She nodded and sniffled. Pulling away from him she looked at him up and down. "You look good." She tried to smile.
He eyed her. "You look better."
She laughed and shook her head.
He tried to bring levity back to the situation. "You should wear that for the party. It's my favorite."
She raised an eyebrow and looked at herself in the mirror. "This?! It's a nightgown!"
He chuckled and pulled her back to his chest. "That's why it's my favorite." She laughed.
"Oh you!" Valkyrie pulled away. Sitting at the vanity, she started putting on makeup. "Skul?"
"Yes love?" Skul sat on the bed and started tying his shoes.
"We've never really talked about it. Are you moving into Gordon's house, once we marry? Or am I moving in with you?"
He finished tying his shoes. "Considering that almost all my clothes are here, I would suppose that I'm moving here. Unless Gordon minds."
She laughed. "He won't. I can contact Gordon's lawyer in the morning."
He looked over at her. "What for?"
She laughed. "Putting the house in your name, silly. Also, I need to make a will. I haven't done that, and I think I should."
He sighed. "Will writing is a depressing thing."
She smiled. "That's why everyone wants to put it off. It makes them think of death. Makes them feel mortal."
He shook his head. "We'll talk to the lawyer person. I suppose I should make a will as well."
She smiled and turned back to her vanity. She raised a bottle of perfume. "Is this one better?"
"Oh ha ha. Pick on the person who can't smell anything."
She giggled and moved back to her vanity.
Skulduggery stilled for a second. He tried to ask as casually as possible, "Val, what does you shampoo smell like?"
"Strawberries." She continued putting her makeup on. "I never found out, is China coming?" She looked over at him through the reflection of her mirror. Smirking she said, "Or actually I should call her Elder Sorrows. She's doing a better job at it than Mist ever did."
Skulduggery stopped trying to remember what strawberries smelled like and focused on Valkyrie's question. "Yes. She is coming."
Val smiled and nodded. She glanced at the clock. It was 6:30 PM. "Damn it, time's gotten away from me." She rushed the rest of her makeup and turned to Skulduggery. "How do I look?"
"Perfect." She smiled.
"I shouldn't have asked someone so biased." He chuckled. His fingers clicked. That was a hand signal that made up to let her know he was winking. She laughed and kissed him. The kiss was about to deepen when Skulduggery's phone went off. Skul growled.
"I will eviscerate that person." Valkyrie started laughing.
Skulduggery answered and growled again. "Yes!"
His posture changed. "What is it, China?"
Valkyrie immediately when to his side. She heard China's faint voice.
"…found…another way for you…flesh…"
Skulduggery spoke. "What is it?"
"…bring tonight…owe…big time…"
Skulduggery chuckled. "Yes China, I'll pay you back somehow." China said something else, and he laughed even harder. "I'll pay for the book case too. Valkyrie is still sorry for that….good bye."
Valkyrie smirked. "You fibbed."
He cocked his head at her in an affronted manner. "I always tell the truth."
She raised a dubious eyebrow.
He chuckled. "Very well, I very often tell the truth."
Her eyebrow was still raised.
He sighed. "Often."
Another eyebrow joined the first.
"Seldom." He lowered his head.
Valkyrie nodded and went back to getting ready. She went to her walk in closet and stared at her clothes. There were all black.
"Skul?"
He walked over to her. "Yes?"
"How traditional are you?"
He glanced at the clothes and chuckled. "No, Valkyrie, you are not wearing a black wedding dress."
She pouted but then smiled. "I guess I'll just have to try white for one day."
He chuckled again and glanced at his watch. "Better get ready faster. The first guests will be arriving in thirty minutes."
She nodded and grabbed a cream dress with gold trim. There were multiple layers of soft white charmeuse under the main outer cloth. Skulduggery made an approving noise. She was wearing a dressed fashioned like the one Pocahontas wore.
He helped her fit inside it. She blushed slightly, still not used to how his hands felt along her skin. She couldn't wait till they were married. It seemed to solidify and cement the reality that they were together. She smiled at Skulduggery.
He had taken over her wardrobe since they had gotten together. While all her clothes were primarily black, he had taken the liberty of introducing other colors into the black to offset the mono-color of her wardrobe. Ghastly had made everything for her. Not as invincible as her work clothes, but still they were bullet proof and fireproof. She grabbed her high heels right when the doorbell rang.
