Hi guys. I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but hopefully that is going to change this year. I'm working on chapter 10 for the Marauders HP/SP story, and will begin working on the other two stories again. Enjoy.

-The Random Writer 4.0

Chapter 2

31 years later

Valkyrie's POV

I fucking hate Adept Mages. They think they're so special with their unique powers, and their ability to do things that few others can. So what if you can teleport wherever you want, or move through dimensions at the drop of a hat, or read people's minds, even though it's rude as hell? None of that matters. At the end of the day I can still shoot them. Which is exactly what I plan to do to this particular mind reader.

His name was Brutus Stone. A fitting name, seeing as he had set his fate in stone by betrayed the Irish Sanctuary and spying on them for the American Sanctuary. He was able to do this effectively because of the previously mentioned telepathic powers. A couple years ago, he might have been spared, but after the events of the War of the Sanctuaries it was highly doubtful that Grand Mage China would care about the fate of one spy, after a thorough interrogation of course. But even that was unlikely to happen, especially since that goddamn idiot had forced me and Skulduggery to chase him through several streets on foot, and up 14 fucking flights of stairs. If that wasn't bad enough, Stone had decided that now was the perfect time to hide, in the middle of this empty office building.

I looked to my side where the one and only Skeleton detective stood tall and proud, his suit somewhat ruffled after our first altercation with Stone. Despite this, he still looked as confident and brave as he had on our first case together over 20 years ago. But that wasn't important at the moment. We had come to a split in the hallway, with offices off to the right, and what looked like boardrooms off to the left. I knew that it would be impossible to search the entire area without unintentionally allowing Stone to escape. We would have to split up if we were to have any chance of catching him.

Skulduggery silently looked over at me, seeming to know exactly what I was thinking, and gestured for me to start searching on the right, while he would go left. Nodding, I started to walk down the hallway with my gun draw out in front of me. I swiftly made my way down the hallway, glancing into every office I passed, and silently thanking my stars that I had met Skulduggery, otherwise I too might have been stuck at some menial, repetitive job, probably in a building just like this.

By that time I had made my way through most of the offices, and had found absolutely nothing. I sighed heavily; ready to turn back, when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I tensed immediately, turning back to the office where I could have sworn I saw something move through the partially glass wall. Moving with a level of stealth that I had work on for decades to perfect, I crept into the seemingly empty office. I carefully moved through the room, checking the only real hiding place, the desk, before deciding that I had just been seeing things.

Apparently I was completely fucking wrong, because somehow Stone, the asshat of an Adept Mage, had managed to sneak up behind me, and before I knew what was happening his hands were on my face, and he was in my head.

I was completely paralyzed as I watched him flip through my memories like they were the pages of a particularly dull fashion magazine. He seemed to be going backwards, as I watched myself getting ready this morning, my sister's graduation that I was forced to watch from the shadows, my 30th birthday party that ended with three major injuries, the first time I got completely out of control drunk with Dexter and Tanith, the War of the Sanctuaries and meeting the Dead Men, the first time I met Skulduggery in my uncle's house after his funeral, my 7th birthday party when I caught my hair on fire, and finally a flash of something unexpected. Two faces, a man and a woman staring down at me in utter adoration as my hands clutched the two necklaces that I had worn since before I could remember. My heart ached their unknown familiarity.

I was harshly brought back to the present when Stone's hands fell away from my face. He collapsed, revealing Skulduggery who had been standing behind him. He opened his mouth, probably to say something inappropriately smug, when he noticed the blank, confused look on my face. Moving carefully towards me, he gently grasped my chin, and tilted my face towards him.

"What is it?" he asked, his smooth voice tinged with more concern than I was used to.

"I… I think I saw something…but it's impossible." I stuttered out. "When he went through my memories…it was like there was a wall, and there were memories behind it, things, no, people that I never seen before, but I knew them. I know them and they feel so familiar, but I can't remember. Why can't I remember?" I was nearly in tears by the time I had finished speaking, and seeing this, Skulduggery pulled me into his cold, bony embrace, which I gladly cuddled into. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I could build up the courage to ask the question that was weighing on both our minds.

"Do you think he could make me remember?"


A half an hour later we had the still unconscious Stone tied to a chair in the middle of one of the boardrooms that Skulduggery had searched earlier. He was drooling, and to be honest it was completely grossing me out.

Glancing over a Skulduggery, who was perched at the end of the boardroom long table, I watched as he gathered the moisture in the air until he had a decent sized ball of water hovering above Stone's head. The water shimmered and flowed in the harsh fluorescent lighting, and I was caught off guard when Skulduggery's other hand shot out to gently grab my shoulder. I looked up at him, confused.

"Are you sure you want to do this Valkyrie?" he asked hesitantly.

"I have to know who they are."

"What if you find something you don't like?"

"I guess I'll just have to be brave." I declared, gently shrugging off his hand, and starting to turn back to Stone.

"While I admire your ability to slip code words into normal conversation, this is entirely the wrong setting."

"What?"

"It's the wrong setting. No one's being threatened, or dying, or about to go evil and go on a murdering spree. You're using the phrase wrong."

"Being brave is a thing by itself. You don't need to be using it as code words just to say it." I sputtered out.

"We do."

"Why?"

"Because it's our thing. Our words of camaraderie and reassurance. You can't just throw that away because you feel like it."

"Skulduggery."

"Yes."

"Shut up."

"Shutting up."

I finally turned back to Stone, intending to wake him with a slap to the face, (since Skulduggery had long since abandoned his ball of icy cold water), only to find him awake and looking between me and Skulduggery.

Brutus Stone wasn't an especially impressive mage. He had dirty blond hair that was cut short, and dull blue eyes. He was average height and build, and looked to be in his late twenties. Nothing that would make him even remotely memorable.

And he was currently staring at the two Detectives in front of him with a smug smirk on his face. One that I was itching to permanently wipe off his face.

"So, you two are, like, a thing? How does that work exactly, cause now I'm curious."

I didn't even bother to attempt to hide my laughter. Stone noticed, and I watched as his expression became a little less secure. I moved away from Skulduggery towards him. Crouching down so I could look directly into his eyes, I let my smirk remain on my lips.

"No, we are not a 'thing', although many like to think we are. To be honest it's getting a little old; all these pathetic baddies flinging a nonexistence relationship in our faces, like they expect us to care what other think about the two of us. Now," I moved a little closer, my smirk dropping as I leaned in. "I have something you want and you have something I want. You need me to let you go, and in order for that to happen anytime soon, I'm going to need you to do something for me."

Stone scoffed. "Do you really expect me to believe that you two are ever going to let me go? Whatever sort of deal you want to make, I can tell you now; it ain't happening."

"What a pity." I said, sighing as I stood. "I thought you valued your life, but apparently not. Well, Skulduggery, he's all yours."

"Wait, wait, wait, what the hell do you mean?!" Stone exclaimed as Skulduggery started to stalk towards him.

"What, you don't think that Grand Mage China actually cares about your life?" Skulduggery taunts. "To her you're just another spineless spy. She doesn't care whether we bring you in dead or alive, she just wants you to stop being a problem for her. So now you have a choice. Help us and go live in a comfy Sanctuary jail cell for 10 to 15 years, or you don't help us, and you can spend the next 10 to 15 years decomposing in whatever lake we decide to dump you in."

Stone swallowed, and responded in a very quiet voice that he would be willing to help us with whatever we needed.

"Excellent choice." Skulduggery said, patting Stone on the shoulder roughly.