When they got outside, they realised that it was a beautiful and warm evening with a slight breeze keeping it at a perfect temperature. With clouds littering the sky, but they were the beautiful sort that deserved to be on the ceiling of the Vatican. The sun was reaching the point where it had just started to go down, and most of the sky was still a bright blue, with shades of pink and orange slowly growing in the sky.

"Here's an idea, it's a nice night, its quiet, were alone, no bad guys chasing us, why don't we walk back? Take a nice stroll." Skulduggery looked down to Charade with a big grin on his face. She looked at him confused but agreed anyway.

"You know you can be really strange sometimes."

"I get it from being around you and Valkyrie too much; I swear you're a bad influence on me!" she playfully hit him on the arm, and he slid his hand into hers. They walked along in a comfortable silence, only with Charade breaking it ever so often to ask where they were going, always being met with the reply "Isn't the weather lovely tonight?" and after six attempts she finally gave up and let Skulduggery guide her to the mystery destination.

After a while they came to a field, lined with a perfect white washed fence, with a little gate in. Skulduggery held the gate open and gestured for Charade to go through. She raised an eyebrow, at him but walked through the gate. She started wandering further into the field when she felt a familiar strong hand slide into hers, and squeeze. He led her around the corner and they came to a hill, with a big, beautiful tree standing at the top. The sun was setting behind it and the sky had erupted into flames of oranges and pinks, the clouds floating aimlessly by, a pair of birds swooping delicately through the flames. She felt her insides melt and her breath was taken away, as she gasped at the sheer beauty of it, "Oh... skul, it's... its, wow." She sighed.

"I know." She turned to find him smiling at her, looking in to her bewildered eyes. "Come on, it's better at the top." And he tugged at her hand slightly and led her to the top of the hill, and sat down slowly, gently pulling charade down beside him. He lay down and she laid her head on to his chest. He ran his hand through her hair slowly and played with it. Their breathing was in sync and they watched the clouds roll by. It was so peaceful and beautiful, it was one of those moments which could stretch out forever and she simply wouldn't have minded.

After a little while Skulduggery gently shifted beneath her and sat up. She sat up and faced him, with her legs crossed and he mirrored her actions. He reached across and began playing with her fingers. He looked up into her forest green eyes and could see the golden light high lighting her face, the other side draped in beautifully sculptured shadows that only emphasised her features. Features that would always be perfect in his eyes. He smiled.

"What, what so funny?" she smiled back at him, with an amused tone in her voice.

"It's just; I never knew you could be any more beautiful than you were. Turns out I was wrong."

She blushed furiously and smiled, "What's this? The great skeleton detective admitting that he is wrong? Call the pope it's a miracle!" she feigned shock.

Skulduggery laughed that heart warming laugh of his that would make her knees melt if she had been standing. He let go of one of her hands and reached inside his jacket pocket.

"Charade, I've been waiting such a long time for someone who can make me truly happy again, just like you can. And I think I've been waiting just as long a time to ask you this question." He pulled a small velvet box from inside his jacket pocket, "even though I know I don't deserve someone as kind or as amazing as you, I'm glad that you thought I did." At this point he shifted his weight and moved onto one knee, "Charade Beam, I've known you for hundreds of years and I hope to know you for hundreds more, I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost you and I hope I never will. You are my world and I love you with all the love this worn out old heart can give. I think two hundred years is long enough to wait so, Charade Beam, will you marry me?"

Charades eyes welled up, and her hands flew to her mouth, she was blushing furiously, fighting back the tears. She looked up into his eyes, so happy, yet with just a hint of hopelessness in them. She prepared herself to say the word she'd dreamed of saying for a while now, just when she saw a silhouette leaning against the tree, over his shoulder. Her face fell and Skulduggery looked confused and furrowed his eyebrows.

That's when they heard the familiar southern drawl, from a familiar and unloved Texan "Aww, what a touchin' moment! You guys got me wellin' up over here!" Skulduggery spun around prepared to fight, only to be met with a fist to the face, and an unwelcome unconsciousness. He was out cold before he could even threaten him. Skulduggery slumped to the ground and Charade stood up slowly.

"Sanguine, I've had a long, hard, depressing day, and you've just knocked out the one man who was going to make it better. You had better have a good reason for being here, or you'd better leave right now, because I am going to kick your sorry arse to next Thursday if you don't."

"Well shoo; can't I just drop by for a friendly visit?"

"No."

"Aww well looks like I'm just gunner have to get down to killing you then." He smirked as he started walking towards her; she simply smiled back and shifted her weight to the balls of her feet. Sanguine's smile was met with a foot to the face and an introduction to the ground,

"What the... how the hell did you just kick me? You barley even moved!"

Charade just smirked again, "Like I said, I've had a hard day and I would suggest you leave or there will be more where that came from."

"Fine I'll go. I can see where I'm not wanted." He began sinking lower into the ground, and just before his head was covered he grinned at Charade. No matter how quick he was she could still hear him coming up behind her, so she turned and slammed a right hook to his jaw, an elbow to his nose, and she spun into a kick, snaking out her foot to meet with his waist; completely unable to be taken by surprise.

He cursed and pulled at his broken nose to move it back into place, wiping away some of the blood that had started pouring out. He sunk back into the ground and she could tell his next move before he made it. She knew he was going to come up behind her again and she prepared to lash out once more, but she was beaten to it when she heard a struggled from behind and she saw Skulduggery on his feet and sanguine on the ground.

"Now I suggest you go, if you would like some of your features to resemble you the next time we meet."

"What? That's it? Your letting me go? No arrest, no death threat, just I can go?" Sanguine's brow furrowed.

"Yes, I was having quite a beautiful moment with my girlfriend, if I do say so myself, and I would like to get back to it. Now take my offer and leave."

"And this aint no trick?"

"No just go before I change my mind."

"Fine but we'll meet again Mr. Pleasant, and Miss Beam your gunna pay for breakin' my nose."

"We count on it." And with that sanguine sunk into the ground. Once Skulduggery was sure that he wasn't going to return, we turned round, wrapped his arms around Charade and dipped her low to the ground. He leant down and kissed her, so passionately, and when he broke away for air she looked almost dazed.

"So, about that question I asked..."

"Yes. Skulduggery it would make me the happiest person in the world to become you wife."

She let the Cheshire grin spread across her face as she saw skulduggery's eyes light up and he smiled. He pulled her upright and then pulled the little black box back out of his pocket and opened it for her to see the beautiful white gold band, inlaid with smaller diamonds and beautifully intricate patterns that swirled around the band, leading up to one larger square cut diamond, set in the middle, which looked like there were almost swirling clouds of silver passing through the diamond. It was so beautiful that it took charades breath away, and her eyes began to well up again when she held out her hand. Skulduggery delicately held it in his and slipped the ring onto her finger. Once he had she pounced on him and wrapped him in an embrace. He laughed and picked her up, spinning her around. When back on the ground she kissed him. He moved back so he was leaning against the tree. When she broke away from him, he smiled again and slid down the tree, pulling Charade along with him. She sat with her back on his chest and his arms around her waist. He gently laid his chin on her head, and they sat there peacefully as they watched the remainder of the orange and pink flames drift away and the midnight blue swarm the sky, with only the pinpricks of stars to offer any light.

"Skul?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you had a crush on me for two hundred years?"

Skulduggery blushed ferociously, and cleared his throat, "Erm don't the stars look beautiful tonight?"

She reached up and pecked him on the cheek, "It's okay, I've had a crush on you for two hundred and fifty years." And she settled back into his arms, whilst he smiled broadly.


Any good? Yes? No?

Any ideas? I'm open to suggestions :)