A/N: I know I haven't updated for a long time. Sowwyyyy D= Here is the long awaited chapter ^_^
Lyrics (c) Christine Glass
Valkyrie's age: 19
Skulduggery's form: human
Valduggery status: Both are single (in the beginning at least ;] )
PoV: Valkyrie
Moonlight shone through an open window in Gordon Edgely's isolated mansion. I looked out of the window. My hands trembled in front of me, ghostly pale, clutched on my lap. The black ring rested on my finger, drinking in the darkness and shadows of the room behind me. It's coldness was comforting.
No, I thought. It wasn't real. He couldn't be gone, just like that.
But he was.
I pushed the thought away. There was still a chance that he was still alive. Or, as alive as a dead man, a living skeleton, could be. There was still a chance that he was waiting for me.
My phone rang, breaking my thoughts, and I picked it up. "Hello?" my voice was even, completely void of emotion. Although the man on the other side of the phone couldn't see my face, I kept it stoic and impassive. I didn't let anyone see me, or hear me, in any other way. I kept my raging tears and sadness away from their eyes and ears.
"Are you sure it is the Murder Skull?" I asked.
"Yes, Ms Cain," the deep voice on the other side answered.
"Thank you. I will meet you tomorrow. Bring the skull,"
"And you bring the money you promised,"
"I will." I hung up.
After five years of endless, consumed searching, I have finally found Skulduggery's old head. Five long, lonely years, five years of living as a dead girl. I was dead without him. I wanted to hold him, to hear his smooth, velvety voice, his egoistical words, his sarcastic humor. I wanted all of him.
Something rustled the grass on the ground, two stories below my window. I leaned out of the window and saw a flash of blonde hair and brown leather running up the wall and I recoiled, but it was too late and the heel of Tanith Low's boot thumped HARD against my chin.
"Dammit, Tanith," I growled, showing emotion for once.
"Oops," she grinned oh-so-innocently, like a four-year-old caught stealing cookies.
I decided not to do anything about it; after all it was me who stuck my head out of the window. So I flipped on the lights and beckoned her to sit on the bed with me. This was my bed, my room, in Gordon's house. Since I turned eighteen and inherited the property I had moved in, but only changed this room; everything else still felt like it belonged to Gordon and changing it didn't feel right.
"Have you found the skull?" Tanith asked. I nodded and she continued. "So you're opening the portal tomorrow?" I nodded again. She sighed. "The Sanctuary's not going to be happy,"
"Since when have I cared about the Sanctuary?" I muttered skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Finding the Murder Skull is all I've been doing these five years. I have to get him back,"
"You love him, don't you?"
Her question caught me off guard. "What?" I blinked.
"You love him. That's why you've been searching for his skull like a madwoman. I know you, Val."
I hadn't thought about it that way before. I loved him? Was that why it hurt more than nearly being killed when I couldn't keep the melancholic thoughts and hopelessness away?
Did I love Skulduggery?
Maybe I did. Maybe this was why I was dead without him. Maybe this was why the three years I spent by his side were my happiest. Maybe I did love him.
I sighed and pushed the question away. I would think about it later. Right now all that mattered was opening the portal and getting him out of what was literally hell.
The next day:
"You've got an hour, okay, Valkyrie?" Fletcher said, looking at me grimly. "One hour to come back out of there,"
I nodded, stared as the portal opened, and ran straight into the yellow light.
I walked through the ruins of the town in the parallel universe, the heat making sweat slide down my back. I took off the protective jacket. The death in the city flowed into my ring. Unaffected by the heat, it was a band of cold metal on my finger.
My footsteps were strangely loud in the eerie silence. "Skulduggery?" I called. Oh God, please let him be here, please let him be alive… "Skulduggery?" I called again. There was still no reply. If he was gone – I couldn't bring myself to think the word "dead" – then everything I've been living for in the past five years would be gone. If he was dead, I wouldn't be able to find a way to carry on. He had been my only hope that my future would be better. He was my everything, even in his absence.
Uncharacteristic tears threatened to fall, but I pushed them away. There would be time for crying later. Right now I had to find Skulduggery.
"Valkyrie Cain?" A familiar, velvety, half-forgotten voice sounded from inside an abandoned building.
"Skulduggery?" My heart beat faster, and I could hear the blood pumping in my ears.
A man stepped out of the shadows. His suit was torn, but he himself was gorgeous; dirty blond hair that hung slightly over his sharp, distinctive, stormy gray eyes. There were bruises and cuts on his face. I had never seen him in my life before, but I had the feeling of knowing him. "Valkyrie?" he spoke and I recognized the voice.
"Skulduggery!" I threw my arms around his neck, and my lips were on his, frenzied with passion. He stumbled backwards into the building, never letting go of his hold on my waist. His kisses were as urgent and fervent as mine were, filled with the same longing and desire.
I didn't stop to wonder how he had become human, or how he had managed to survive for so long. All I knew in that moment was that I loved him and he loved me back. It must have always been there, under the surface, undiscovered until we were separated.
And I had never felt more alive than that moment, in a world perished in death. I could feel my heart thumping wildly, the adrenaline singing in my veins, Skulduggery's hot lips on my mouth. I could taste his sweet, fresh flavor on my tongue.
Skulduggery's back hit the far wall and he slumped, sitting down, and I was on his lap, my legs on either side of him. We didn't break the kisses and we continued making out like that – his hands were on my hips, and mine tangled into his thick hair.
I broke off from the kiss, panting for breath. "What was that for?" I whispered.
"For not being there all this time," he breathed. "How long has it been, Valkyrie? How old are you?"
"Five years, Skul. I'm nineteen,"
"And you still came for me,"
"You would've done the same if I were the one who got pulIed into the portal," I answered, looking into his stormy gray. "Wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would," he answered without hesitation and kissed my forehead.
He was returning my gaze, his hands running over my sweaty face and through my long hair. We didn't talk, simply relishing in each other's presence. I was holding his face in my hands, bathing in love. It was a moment of pure bliss, pure heaven, in literally the middle of hell.
I was holding his face in my hands, and I ran my thumb lightly over a cut. "How'd you get these?"
"The Faceless Ones possess Batu's body and hunt me. I think it's more fun for them if they hurt a human as another human."
"They turned you human?" My eyes widened and my voice grew sharp. "For the sake of hurting you?" I wanted to kick the living daylights out of them. My heart was caught in a vice-like grip that literally pained me as I thought of the Faceless Ones hurting Skulduggery. "I'm going to kill them,"
"You can't kill a Faceless One, not without the Scepter of the Ancients." He said matter-of-factly. Then his voice softened and he murmured. "But that fierce passion, that's my Valkyrie. My beautiful, fierce, brave Valkyrie,"
I kissed him softly, quickly. "Now," I said, rising and pulling him up with me. "Let's get home,"
If you wander off too far, my love will get you home.
If you follow the wrong star, my love will get you home.
If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.
My love will get you home.
If the bright lights blind your eyes, my love will get you home.
If your troubles break your stride, my love will get you home.
If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.
My love will get you home.
If you ever feel ashamed, my love will get you home.
When there's only you to blame, my love will get you home.
If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.
My love will get you home.
If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.
My love will get you home, boy.
My love will get you home.
~ My Love Will Get You Home
Christine Glass
A/N: This is the first ever Valduggery one-shot I've written. Ever. I just didn't post it on here because I didn't know how to end it, lol. Oh btw, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO READ MORTAL COIL, please don't put spoilers in the reviews without a warning… most people don't like reading spoilers by accident ^_^
School is HELL this year, I'm not even kidding. We get homework for every subject every day, and most of it's due the next day. And ok I'm going to stop talking about that now, and talking about Mortal Coil instead.
MORTAL COIL SPOILERS ALERT!
Valkyrie/Caelan is just wrong! I don't know why but it just feels wrong. I even like Fletchyrie more than that. Fletcher actually isn't as bad now. He's no where near my favorite characters, but at least I don't hate him. And Tanith and Ghastly finally got together! At least for a while… I hope they get the Remnant out of Tanith! Cause if they don't I am going to hunt Mr Landy down and make him get it out of her!
SPOILERS OVER
I'm going to be checking all the forum posts about Mortal Coil, so you guys might see me on there… Apart from that, please R&R and enjoy the story! ^_^