Acknowledgments! Agh!

Idea given to me by my friend Aimee, thank-you gorgeous! Also big thank you to Darren for letting me use him as Robert Dogene :D

The university was huge. Large glass walls formed a curved building outside it, new students weaved their way around towering trees.

Valkyrie Cain stared at the scene before her, chewing at her lip slowly. That unfamiliar feeling of nervousness washed over her, making her feel slightly sick.

'Stephanie! Steph!' She heard someone call not far off from her. She turned to see Aimee, old friend of her she had known since primary school, perched on a low wall, waving at her.

Valkyrie smiled and walked up to her, hauling herself up on the wall next to her.

'Hi.'

Aimee grinned and tossed back her hazel coloured hair. 'Hi, Steph-you OK?'

Valkyrie hesitated. 'Well-'

'I know exactly how you feel, I mean, it's our like first day of uni!'

'It seems to be.'

'I'm so glad you're here though. When I first got here, I was like,' she pulled a daunted face, 'but now I'm like "phew, I'm not going to be on my own".'

'Isn't that swell.'

'I know right?'

'We've known each other since primary school haven't we?'

Aimee paused, and then raised her head in realization.

'Oh my God, yeah!'

'We've been through quite a bit.'

'Yeah-do you remember when in year one you got hit over the head with a horse-shoe?'

'Oh yeah, or when I corrected someone's grammar when I was five.'

Aimee sighed lightly. 'I wish that we were small and care-free again.'

'Mm, when everything was normal and easy and you didn't have to worry about boys or anything.'

'Speaking of booooys,' Aimee said slowly, 'I've got a boyfriend!'

'Really? Who?'

'Milo-from my old science class.'

'Oh, him-that's lovely.'

'Aw, thanks! So, what about you-any boyfriends on the horizon?'

Valkyrie hesitated. 'Sort of.'

'Ah-ha! Work in progress?'

'Something like that.'

Aimee nudged Valkyries shoulder. 'So, spill the beans-who?'

Valkyrie shook her head. 'You wouldn't know him.'

'Ooh! Mystery boy!'

You have no idea, Valkyrie thought, and then said aloud, 'he's not exactly a boy.'

'Oh really? A girl?'

'No, I'm saying he's too old to be a boy.'

'Twenty? Thirty?'

'...Sure.'

'So-what's he like?'

'He's tall, clever, funny, kind, very egotistical...'

'Hot?'

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. 'In his own way.'

'Aw! I hope I get to meet him one day.'

Valkyrie forced back a laugh at the thought.

Valkyries first part of the day was a history lecture held in the hall. Valkyries class filed in, finding their desks facing the stage. The crowd of students voices simmered down as a middle-aged man in a long black cloak stepped onto the stage.

'Good morning scholars of history-I am Professor Montgomery Wilson. I am head of Humanities here at this university. I thank you all for choosing history for your degree. I am now going to hand you over to our second facility teach-.' he was cut off by a tall man with shaggy, sandy hair, stubble and green eyes wearing a brown shirt, jeans and tie stroll up onto the stage. he dug his hand in his pocket, other hand raised to adjust his glasses.

'Sorry-important man can't be here today; unavoidable...thing happened.'

The professor raised an eyebrow at the young man in his thirties, who had now turned his attention to his red-brown converses.

'And you are-?'

'Robert Dogene; historical lecturer...thing.'

'I see...'

'So, if you wouldn't mind?'

Wilson grunted and left the stage through the curtain behind them. Robert leaned against the lectern.

'Hello, clever people, I am Robert-not that you need to know that; likely that most of you will never see me again.' His voice was laced with a cockney accent. Valkyrie couldn't help but frown at him. She didn't recognise him, but his presence was very familiar to her. The way he was holding himself-arms folded, but occasionally he raised his hand to adjust his hat even though he wasn't wearing one, and ended up pushing his glasses back up his nose.

'So history,' Robert continued, 'is, as you may know, very old...so there's that. And for a long time of you learning history there will be history of you learning history-is anyone else as confused as I am right now? That's good to know. Anyway, the point is, in which I am here to say this, is...where's Stephanie Edgley?'

Valkyrie was pulled out of her day-dreams at the mention of her name and looked at Robert.

'Here, Sir.' Robert pulled a disgusted face.

'Ugh, that's strange, don't call me that. Anyway, Val-' He stopped immediately. Valkyrie shot him a glare, piecing the puzzle together in her head.

'How...' She mouthed at him. He swallowed.

'Stephanie, would you follow me please?'

All eyes turned to her as she made her way to the stage. He smiled quickly at her before disappearing through the curtain door. Valkyrie followed him as they walked down the empty corridor, before Robert leaned against a wall and took his glasses off, rubbing his eyes.

Valkyrie frowned at him. 'Are you okay, sir?'

He sighed and put his glasses back on. 'Stop. Calling me that.' His voice changed dramatically to Irish, deep, grazed and oh-so-familiar...

'You!' Valkyrie almost screamed.

'Shush.'

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'Skulduggery, why are you here?'

'Several reasons,' Robert, or rather Skulduggery said, 'one-we have a case that I need your assistance in; two-I was bored sitting at home waiting for you, and three...'he bit his lip and looked at his trainers, 'I wanted to see how you were in your first day of university.'

Valkyrie blinked at him. 'Oh.'

'Mm.'

'It's a bit elaborate though-posing as a history lecturer, wearing glasses, wearing clothes that you'd never dream of wearing...'

He shrugged. 'You know I like to be better than everyone else.' She couldn't help smiling at that.

He sighed and brushed the trouser leg of his jeans. 'How can people wear these?'

'Oh, I don't think you'd understand; it's called style.'

Skulduggery looked at her and sniffed. 'I knew style before you were born.'

'Good for you.'

'Indeed.'

'I'm fine anyway.'

'Hm?'

'You came here to see how I was; I'm fine.'

'Oh, well, that's good to know.'

'Although, your speech wasn't exactly a great an enthralling way to start the day.'

'Really?'

'Mm, it was pretty boring actually.'

'I know, you were day-dreaming.'

She rolled her eyes. 'So sorry, Mr Pleasant.'

He pulled her face. 'Don't. It's strange.'

'Well, maybe you should punish me then...'

His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, turning beet-red. Valkyrie realised what she said and waved her arms in front of her manically.

'No, no! I didn't mean that!'

'Phew, I was going to say...'

'Oh, no, sorry.'

Skulduggery nodded quickly and dug his hands in his pockets. Valkyrie looked at the floor, an idea striking her.

'Why did you come to the uni when you could have just waited until I got back?' Skulduggery opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Valkyrie smiled and looked at him expectantly, 'speak.'

'I...missed you. Sitting at home, waiting for you to give me a ring when you get back.'

Valkyrie raised her eyebrows. 'You missed me?'

'Please don't make me say it again.'

'I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I?'

He looked at her. 'Sorry.'

'No...I don't mind.' She said quietly. Skulduggerys mouth formed into a shy smile.

'Dinner?' He said finally. She smiled and shook her head.

'No,' she said, before wrapping her arms around his neck, 'just you and me.'

His smile turned into a grin, before he kissed her hesitantly, letting his fingers run through her hair. She broke off, laughing quietly.

'Not here, people will think I'm snogging a teacher.'

'Oh yeah,' he said, taking his glasses off, 'there-completely new man.'

She grinned and took his hand. 'God, I love you.'

'Good, that makes two of us.' Valkyrie laughed and punched his arm.